Scientist Dr. Martin Harris, Liam Neeson, flies into Berlin with his wife, Liz, January Jones, to attend an international Bio-Technology summit at the city's Hotel Adlon. But on arrival at the hotel he realises he left a bag behind at the airport and heads back there in a taxi driven by illegal Bosnian immigrant Gina, Diane Kruger; there's an accident, and Harris winds up in a coma in hospital. When he recovers, he discovers another man, Aidan Quinn, has taken over his identity.

For much of its length UNKNOWN is a tasty thriller, with quite an ingenious plot, scripted by Oliver Butcher and Stephen Cornwell and slick direction by Jaume
Collet-Serra, who made the interesting thriller, ORPHAN. With this kind of film you have to be drawn into the nightmare situation in which the protagonist finds himself, and on that level the film is certainly successful even, at times, Hitchcockian. Ultimately, the plot proves to be too far-fetched for words, but still you go along for the ride. Liam Neeson is rather a stolid hero, but Diane Kruger is very good value as the girl who helps him and there are strong supporting roles for Bruno Ganz, as an ex-Stasi officer turned detective, and Frank Langella as Harris's American mentor.

January Jones, as the wife whose motives are, for a long time, unfathomable, has little to do. Fights and killings and car chases are well staged and there's a terrific climax in the venerable Hotel Adlon which Berliners would doubtless appreciate hugely.

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