‘Identity’ rather unremarkable
If there’s one thing Hollywood has taught us all, it’s not to stray
far from the pack when there’s a homicidal maniac on a killing spree.
In “Identity,” travelers find themselves sharing a seedy desert motel
with a mass murderer. Was it just the AAA discount that drew everyone
to the same motel, or are their supernatural forces at play? It’s not
that this movie is so bad that the answer is “who cares?” but it’s
questionable whether it’s really worth $9.50 to solve this mystery.
“Identity” had terrific potential as a suspense thriller, but
unfortunately the script takes too many shortcuts. It’s difficult to
describe the fatal flaws in this movie without doing spoilers, but I
left the theater feeling like it was a script that wasn’t quite
finished when it was taken to production. The movie takes a
deliberate twist into unreality, which would give it a Twilight
Zone-like flavor if the result had been more satisfying. In the end
we see that the unreal elements aren’t really necessary to advance
the story, but were merely an easy way to conceal information and try
to preserve the mystery. I felt shortchanged and cheated by some plot
devices that ruin what was otherwise an interesting movie.
The opening line for “Identity’s” script is, “it was a dark and
stormy night ...” A series of seemingly unrelated occurrences bring
together an aging movie star and her limo driver, a family of three
with a young son, a pair of newlyweds, a fiscally responsible
prostitute and a police officer transporting a mass murderer. When
all the roads become blocked by raging flood waters, the group is
forced to stay in the same motel.
John Cusack plays the limo driver who is actually a police officer
on disability leave. He’s the good cop to Ray Liotta’s bad cop.
Liotta plays yet another police officer with anger management issues.
It’s time for him to find a new persona.
Overall, the cast in this movie are really great. John C. McGinley
(from the TV show “Scrubs”) is a standout. He plays a stepfather who
seems too fragile to protect himself, but musters up the emotional
strength to try make his stepson feel secure.
The only disappointment for me is Amanda Peet as the prostitute.
It’s not that Peet’s performance was lacking, it’s more that I’m
tired of the Hollywood cliche that prostitutes are just
happy-go-lucky fashion models who have sex more often than most
people. Maybe if one of these screenwriters actually talked to a real
prostitute he’d learn that people who sell their sexuality destroy
their ability to feel emotional intimacy.
“Identity” is a B-movie that should have been a much better movie.
The story is imaginative, but it doesn’t live up to its potential. My
recommendation is to wait for this one to go to video. I’m a big fan
of Cusack, and for me this movie was a disappointment. “Identity”
isn’t an awful movie, but there’s nothing really special about it.
* JIM ERWIN, 40, is a technical writer and computer trainer.
‘Confidence’ an enjoyable flic
“Confidence,” as the name implies, is all about con men. Believing
fully that a fool and his money are soon parted, con men embody a
fiscal Darwinism of sorts.
“Confidence” follows a few days in the life of Jake Vig. Jake
(Edward Burns) is handsome, smooth talking, and has a gift for
bringing out the shady side of just about everyone. Jake’s latest
modus operandi is to convince his desperate victims to steal money to
finance a one-time “can’t-miss” score. The only trouble is things go
horribly wrong; someone gets shot and the cops show up, just as all
hell breaks loose. When this happens, the “mark” can only think about
running and completely forgets about the money. Of course the real
con is that Jake has planned this drama with theatrical precision
complete with fake blood and paid-off cops.
Unfortunately, Jake’s latest victim turns out to be a bagman for a
ruthless gangster. Before Jake realizes who he’s ripped off, one of
his accomplices is dead. The gangster, King (Dustin Hoffman), has a
reputation for doggedly seeking vengeance for the slightest
infraction. Realizing it is futile to run, Jake convinces King to
partner on a lucrative scam, ostensibly to pay him back.
I’m always complaining about lame plots and screenplays, and this
picture doesn’t really suffer from those maladies. However,
“Confidence” perhaps tries a little too hard to incorporate every
plot device ever invented for this genre. For instance, the main
character’s name “Vig” is the slang term for “vigorish,” which every
gambler knows is the fee the house or a bookie takes off the top of
every bet.
That’s not to say “Confidence” isn’t entertaining. Although the
plot twists are so numerous you can’t help but feel a bit
manipulated, most are surprising enough to keep your interest. Los
Angeles serves as a backdrop for the story and the film utilizes many
recognizable locales.
There are several noteworthy performances, especially Hoffman’s
King, a frightening twitchy control freak claiming to suffer from
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This performance is the
flip side of Hoffman’s role in “Rain Man.” King is far from harmless
and his unpredictability and absolute relish for employing violence
creates an air of foreboding each time he appears on screen.
Paul Giamatti as Gordo, one of Jake’s crew, is a scene-stealer of
the first order. Giamatti is a rarity in today’s films, a character
actor of the old school playing one memorable role after another.
Andy Garcia does a nice turn as a federal agent obsessed with Vig.
Also worth mentioning is Rachel Weisz, who ably plays the femme
fatale displaying the moxie and smoldering beauty appropriate to the
part.
Although there have been better studies of con men (David Mamet’s
“House of Games” comes to mind), “Confidence” is an enjoyable
diversion. Perhaps this modern day effort with contemporary stars
such as Burns and Weisz will prompt a new generation to explore the
many fine films in this genre.
* VAN NOVACK, 48, is the director of institutional research at Cal
State Long Beach.
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