When horror became trendy again in the early ’90s, the big studios were circling, and one of the early results was Identity, which enjoyed a moderatelysuccessful cinema release in 2003. At first glance it’s a standard Ten Little Indians tale set in a remote motel, and the only notable features are the up-market cast including Ray Liotta and John Cusack, and higher production values than you would expect, especially as the writer is Michael Cooney, previously best known as the brains behind Jack Frost, and Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman. You also get the respectable James Mangold as director, managing to do a good impression of Hitchcock but without any real feel for horror.

However there’s a big and fairly clever twist at the end of the movie, which puts everything you’ve seen into a different perspective, and which obviously helped to attract the big names and money. It’s also another fine performance from Pruitt Taylor Vince, who turns up just when you thought you’d misread the credits.

In total, it’s a bit tasteless and the occasionally heartless tone leaves a strange taste in a big-budget studio movie, but the ending will have most viewers talking and is
well worth watching for anyone used to horror movies.

Mild Peril Rating:

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