*** Official "IDENTITY" Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Robert Crawford]

This thread is now designated the Official Discussion Thread for "Identity" please, post all comments, links to outside reviews, film and box office discussion items to this thread.

All HTF member film reviews of "Identity" should be posted to the Official Review Thread.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.


Crawdaddy

 

[Matt Stone]

I was really excited about this film, but in the end it was pretty contrived.

It actually reminded me a lot of Donald Kaufman's "The Three"

 

[Matt Stone]

The ending with it turning out that everyone was just some psycho's multiple personalities getting killed off by another of the personalities is one of the best and most unexpected twists I've seen in ages, and its truly awesome and original!

Not to turn this into the discussion thread...but I called that about 30 minutes in. It wasn't exactly one of the most unexpected twists I've ever seen.

That being said, I'm glad you liked it. I was really into it until the last 30 min or so.

 

[Jordan_E]

I read about the spoiler somewhere online about a month ago and thought at the time how could they pull this off, but from reading various things today it seems like they didn't pull it off. Still going to go see it this weekend, as it still looks interesting to me.

 

[David Lawson]

I agree with Matt. I was somewhat into the story (and hoping against hope, since I also had a feeling about what lay ahead) until the twist is revealed, at which point it's difficult to care what happens to any of the characters. And, in typical Hollywood fashion, the twist is then carried one step too far.

 

[Eric Wood]

I enjoyed the flick, until the last 15 minutes. It's almost as if they a timeline, and it only went to 90 min
Maybe the DVD will have the director's cut

 

[JonS]

This wasn't your average Hollywood twist ending. This film actually got better as it went on. Without a doubt this is the best film released this year so far. I guess I could be cool too and say that I called it, but it really doesn't matter. It was such a great ending, that it didn't matter that I saw it coming.

 

[Matt Stone]

Hey...don't jump down my throat. I said that I'm happy if you liked it...but understand that I didn't. I agree with others that it was really hard to care for the characters once we knew that they didn't exist on a physical plane.

Also, there is a typical Hollywood twist ending. If they had left it at simple multiple personalities with Paris living out a quiet life as an Orange farmer, it would have been salvageable. As is, they show that the bad guy wasn't really Liotta's character after all...it was a 7 year old kid. Yah...that sounds plausible.

Sorry for the sarcasm, but it's hard for me to call this film the best of the year, thus far. I'm not saying that there weren't good parts, but on the whole I disliked it.

 

[Matt Stone]

BTW...as long as we are talking about films with characters living in other character's minds. While I'm not the world's biggest fan of the film...I think The Cell is a much better film than Identity.

As for what I liked about Identity...I thought Liotta and Cusack were pretty good. I really liked John C. McGinley, and I thought the first half of the film was supurb.

 

[Tom Rags]

Geez Justin, I wish you would just tell us what you think already!

I can't wait to see this one this weekend. Out of curiosity, is this really a true HORROR movie, or more of a suspense movie. In other words, it is more like "The Ring" or "Memento" (if that makes any sense).

 

[RyanJM]

Someone please explain the ending to me, I have no idea what happened or how it all fit together.

If those people were all just his personalities, then how did he get put on death row for killing people?

 

[MatS]

saw it tonight...
to answer your question Tom, more suspense

Ryan your question might be better suited to a 'discussion' thread
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=137383

 

[Brett Hancock]

I liked it. Going on I didn't read anything about it or listen to anyone's take on it as I did with The Ring, which left me extremely dissapointed. However

Why must the previews continue to show way to much information. The whole time that I was watching this movie I couldn't help but think of the scene with the exploding car and the boy walking away from it that they showed ad nasaum on tv. Then when the boy went to see his mother, well I hate to say I knew what was happening but ya know.

 

[David Lawson]

To carry Matt's "salvageable" ending one step further, I could even have been content with Paris unearthing the key and starting to freak out, and a cut to Malcolm Rivers riding in the van with a smirk on his face. IMHO, Timothy's reappearance makes a "great" ending impossible.

Or...was it another Adaptation-style ending, which we were supposed to "hate"? Did the screenwriter(s) have an identity crisis for the final third of the film? :p)

 

[Eric DiPiazza]

Hey all, this is my first post here, so bare with me. I would like to give my opinion on how...
the boy was the killer. That young boy was not the actual person to carry out the murders, but he was the form or "identity" that the killer took on when he committed the crimes. So it was really a big white guy killing people in real life, not that little child. In short, the boy was just how the killer saw himself when he was killing people, just like how he saw himself as Cusack's character when he took on the role of the "hero". So in my mind, although a bit cheesy (primarily done for shock value), the boy being the killer was plausible. As for how the boy killed, (explosions, decapitations,etc.)that was only pertaining to his other personalities. I guess in real life, he killed much more realistically (if you could call it that). Where I believe the confusion came into play, was at the court case where they mentioned the killer's "motel murders". I think this was said just to try to fool the audience into thinking that all of the killer's multiple personalities were real people. I don't think that we, the audience, got any real insight to the true motel murders the were committed, aside from a picture or two.


All in all I felt that Identity was a decent picture, despite all it's flaws. I'm just glad to see that it did not turn into a "Scream" with better actors and a bigger budget. I am also glad it did not take that "Indian burial ground" route that was suggested a few times. I hope I did not confuse anybody.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

It was good, but not great.

David Lawson said:

To carry Matt's "salvageable" ending one step further, I could even have been content with Paris unearthing the key and starting to freak out, and a cut to Malcolm Rivers riding in the van with a smirk on his face. IMHO, Timothy's reappearance makes a "great" ending impossible.

That sounds about right.

 

[David Lawson]

I'm thinking about this too much.

While Timothy's ability to carry out the murders is obviously implausible from a physical standpoint, it's definitely possible from a mental standpoint, since it's mentioned multiple times how a traumatic childhood event can warp someone for life. Timothy is Malcolm Rivers as a child, but it still doesn't make the ending any less foolish.

I'm also bothered by how they just make an offhand reference to the therapy that allows Rivers' multiple personalities to meet in one location/scenario. That should be a rather important detail, considering that it's responsible for everything we had seen up to that point!

 

[JonZ]

I loved the ending

When big Rebecca DeMorney get so "big"?

 

[Steve_Tk]

Glad some people agree with me.

This has spoilers because it's discussion.

I liked it up until you find out this guy is just thinking this up all in his head. Now maybe, just maybe if he was even half a likable character, then the movie could have gotten away with people liking the bad guy. But he isn't. Once you find out this guy is the guy, and he made up all these people, you just don't give a damn about any of the characters anymore.

Guess what, when the characters were dying, I was feeling bad for them and anxious to see what happens next. After the fat guy is revealed as the psycho just thinking this up, no one cares. When they showed Amanda Pete digging in the garden, I could care less at that point what was going to happen. But earlier, before the twist, I was on the edge of my seat when she was in trouble.

Again I think it was a stupid twist. And maybe if the guy was somewhat of a likable bad guy, oh well, good start, terrible finish. Only reason I'm mad is I never like Horror movies, like the Ring, but I was really liking this one.

And Rebecca probably got bigger to try and get some roles in her old age.

 

[Matthew Chmiel]

I just saw Identity and I enjoyed it very much (it is one of the better films to have been released this year), but I'll agree with others that the ending has it's faults.

Before getting into the faults with the ending, I was into the movie the whole entire time till a major clue into discovering the twist before it is revealed. Right when the journal is mentioned to have entries done by "several people," I knew the twist would involve multiple personalities. But one has to admit that the twist of having Malcolm think the whole story in his head is a good twist. Just that the problem with the twist is that it's not executed as well as it could have been (or as some people would say, it wasn't executed well at all). For one, the scene where the twist is revealed should have not been placed when there are a good twenty minutes left to go into the movie. Once you realize that Malcolm is just thinking this whole story up in his head loses everything the film has going for it. Who cares who's going to die next since it's just a wacko making it up in his head? You feel bad for all the victims, because some way you can identify with them (say like The Narrator in Fight Club), but how the hell could one identify and feel sorry for a murderer who has multiple personalities? Now say if the twist was placed once Ed was killed, the twist might've worked better. Hell once after he was killed, have him wake up with all the lights in his face and then focus on that he's in the room with Alfred Molina's character, the twist could've worked better. Also, the twist might have worked better if they shed a little bit more light about Malcolm, the motel murders, why he has multiple personalities, and what not (like what Eric mentioned in his post). I don't think making the film a few minutes longer to shed some light on the twist would hurt it any bit.

There were also a few questions that were never answered within the film. Why didn't anybody check for room keys when the car blew up (containing Ginny and supposedly Timothy)? Didn't anybody care to realize that there were 11 people at the motel and not 10 (where the countdown began with the killing of Rebecca De Mornay's character?). Where did the "bodies" exactly go? Can a baseball bat really get shoved down a man's throat? How the hell is Alfred Molina still getting roles in Hollywood? When did Rebecca De Mornay get breast implants?
As I said, I enjoyed the film, but it could've been better if the twist was executed and explained more.



And one more thing, can we say MILF?