Five guys wake up in a locked-down warehouse with no recollection of who they are. Seen it? Yes: Saw, Saw II, Saw III... but I digress. This is an independent flick... and anything can happen. It doesn’t, but read on.

The plot: three of these men kidnapped two of these men, and brought them here. Two of these men are very wealthy. One of these men is tied to a chair. One of these men is shot, handcuffed and bleeding, and is eventually going to die. Three of these men can walk around, and they do. One of these men has a gun.

Unknown is a mix between Saw and Reservoir Dogs (if you haven’t seen the latter, RENT IT!) with a tiny pinch of Momento to taste (yes, get this one too). But the movie has an original feel to it as well. Maybe its due to its billing as an independent movie; maybe it’s the gritty feel to the scenes and characters; possibly it’s the mise en scene (background for non-film majors).

More likely, it’s the actors that director Simon Brand attained: Jim Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Bridget Moynahan, Joe Pantoliano, Barry Pepper, Jeremy Sisto, and more. For an independent movie, this flick kicks it!

And then there’s the plot. As each man gets over the short-term amnesia, as an effect of the gas leaked during the previous struggle, the puzzle begins to form, and each must figure out who’s who. Interlaced is a thin subplot which develops at the extreme end of the movie, adding to the overall greatness that is Unknown.

Movies like this don’t come around too often. Pick this one up, it’ll be well worth your time!

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