Odd that its taken Liam Neeson all these years to become a bonafide action star. The trailer for Unknown would have you believe that this is a Taken sequel of sorts. Actually, aside from the fact that both films are thrillers and both star Liam Neeson, Unknown and Taken have very little in common. Unknown owes more to the likes of The Bourne Identity, Memento, Shattered, Total Recall, and even Regarding Henry, if you can believe that. In Unknown, Liam Neeson plays Dr. Martin Harris. While in Europe for an important meeting, a car wreck wipes out part of Harris' memory. After regaining consciousness in the hospital, Harris struggles to put together what's happened including, among other things, why his own wife claims she has no idea who he is.

Harris teams with a beautiful cab driver and sets out to find answers to his burning questions. Is he simply going crazy from his memory loss, or might their be a sinister conspiracy at the very heart of this entertaining thriller? Unknown offers up some very odd shenanigans in the first act, but rest assured that by the end of the film, everything will make sense. And in fact, when I came to the realization of what was actually going on here, I had a fun time doubling back to the earlier parts of the film and recalling things that didn't quite click at the beginning. Unknown does lull a bit in the mid section, but Liam Neeson is solid every step of the way and he gets a big assist from an assortment of terrific supporting players (most notably Aidan Quinn, Frank Langella, Diane Kruger and January Jones). Director Jaume Collet-Serra has a great eye for action, but he's able to balance the thrills with potent drama. Again, credit the great Neeson for his ability to make Dr. Harris empathetic but dangerous at the same time. Despite the fact that Unknown tends to stretch the bounds of credibility, I enjoyed this movie a hell of a lot more than I thought I would.

Grade: B-