Unknown (2006)

Five men wake up in locked chemical warehouse. Battered, bruised, shot and shocked, the five known by their respective apparel or bodily injury, Jean Jacket, Broken Nose, Bound Man, Rancher Shirt and Handcuffed Man are forced to determine who's good and who's bad in order to survive.

The ensemble cast of Unknown should have been enough to build on the above premise. Try as they might, Jim Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper, Peter Stormare, and Joe Pantoliano can't do anything with this mess. Director Simon Brand tries for Memento with a touch of Saw only to come up with nothing.

The screenplay is the demise. On paper, I can imagine a taunt thriller that twists and turns, creating an engaging whodunnit. Unknown is dim and dirty, but doesn't contain any bite. Through flashbacks our characters try to develop. There is no group dynamic or palatable tension. There is nothing for the audience to build on, no clues to collect or story to surmise. It's just plot holes glaring back at us. This movie is clumsy at best.

As I see it, Unknown is better left unknown.