Unknown (2011)
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A man awakens from a coma to find his identity stolen and his wife claiming he is a stranger.
The story
After a taxi accident in Berlin, Martin Harris awakens from a four-day coma only to find that his identity has been replaced. His wife, Liz, claims she does not know him, and another man appears to have taken his place in their lives. As Harris struggles to prove who he is to the authorities and his colleagues, he must navigate a web of mystery involving a high-stakes biotechnology summit and a mysterious organization. With his memories fractured and his reality questioned, Harris must find a way to reclaim his life before he is lost to the deception entirely.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Martin Harris and his wife Liz are in Berlin for a biotechnology summit when Harris is involved in a taxi accident and falls into a coma. Upon waking, he finds his wife with another man who claims to be her husband. Harris discovers that his identity has been systematically replaced. He seeks help from a private investigator, Ernst Jürgen, and a local woman named Gina. They uncover a conspiracy involving a terrorist group called Section 15, who are targeting a secret project funded by Prince Shada of Saudi Arabia. Harris eventually learns that his 'Martin Harris' identity was a cover name, and his head injury caused him to believe the persona was real. He discovers his wife was part of a plot to steal data regarding a genetically modified crop. In the climax, a bomb is discovered; Liz is killed in the explosion while trying to disarm it, and Harris eliminates the remaining terrorists before escaping with Gina under new identities.
- First release year
- 2011
- Runtime (minutes)
- 113
- Production countries
- United States; Germany; United Kingdom; France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jaume Collet-Serra
- Writers
- Oliver Butcher · writer; Stephen Cornwell · writer
- Cast and characters
- Liam Neeson · Martin Harris; Diane Kruger · Liz; January Jones; Aidan Quinn; Frank Langella; Bruno Ganz
- Genres
- action; thriller
- Themes
- identity theft; memory loss; terrorism
- Tone and mood
- tense; suspenseful
- Premise and plot tags
- amnesia; conspiracy; identity theft
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2003 French novel by Didier Van Cauwelaert
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 56 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Production trivia
- The working title was Unknown White Male.; The film was screened out of competition at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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