I adore this movie and always have. It’s been a few years since I watched it last and still I remembered most of the lines right down to the inflections used to say them, which not only speaks to my love for this movie, but also to how many times I’ve watched it amiright?

The seedy motel during a nighttime thunderstorm setting is probably my favorite part, but it also has twists and turns and a super dark ending plus a terrific cast so if you haven’t seen it you need to get on it. Rebecca DeMornay slays here...and in everything else she does tbh.

Bananameter: 🍌 “they clearly did not read my deal, they had me at a Ramada!!” 🍌

Bad Times at the El Royale—but better. I don’t revisit it often, but this psychological Agatha Christy rain drenched motel slasher jam is one of my all time favorite thrillers—tense, with a magnificent setting that’s constantly sweaty and wet, loaded with a great cast (John Hawkes!), oozing with And Then There Were None mystery atmos, and to top it off it’s dark and goofy as hell!!!! 

One of those movies that feels like it was made just for me... loaded with all the tropes I love and a bit of the darkness that would soon overtake horror post Saw. So yeah, I love this rain soaked pulpy junk—4.5 stars.

I find this productively stupid, if that's even a thing, in that the most amusing part about it is how absurd and pointlessly self-conscious it is. Mileages will fluctuate wildly based solely on individual tolerance for the idea of an entire movie deliberate constructed around a ridiculous contrivance that allows its makers to repeatedly pull the rug out from under you with no regard for logic or narrative consequence.

Discussed on Episode 53 of The Suspense is Killing Us.

This was so much better than I remembered and glad to have forgotten some of the twists. The feel of the film throughout is just everything!

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

What a silly thriller. Identity plays a lot like a slasher film with a chain of mysterious murders, just de-emphasizing the horror for the sake of a mystery. Perhaps I'm too well-versed in goofy thriller plotlines, but I predicted this one basically the moment the first murder happened. No spoilers, though the answer is quite dumb.

"Quite dumb" more or less sums Identity up. The whole film definitely has an early 2000s feel in the worst way -- it's ugly, and there's this incompetent editing that became distracting. I can't come down too hard on it because I don't really regret my time spent, and I managed to have a little fun with how silly it was. There's not much more to it though. This is one of my shortest reviews ever because this movie is basically nothing but a vehicle for a bad twist. Without talking about that, it's pretty empty.

James Mangold's 2003 film Identity is a puzzler with more than a few nice performances tucked up inside its labyrinthian plot. John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, and John Hawkes lead the way in this under-seen gem that is not at all what it seems. A storm, a group of strangers trapped in a remote motel, with a killer amongst them seems like a straightforward thriller, but there are twists in store here. The beginning sets the scene and ups the ante towards the revealing third act that keeps us guessing right until the end. Cusack and especially Liotta are excellent here, and with nutty looking Pruitt Taylor Vince giving us the added chills that only his crazy eyes and psycho appearance can deliver, this is creepy, imaginative, and a little bit of a revelation.

who am i speaking to ? 

i was ten years old when i last saw this and omg i still love the rainy downpour dark setting so much. it really sets the mood for every film that does it. mangold forebodingly directs this grand thiller that srsy keeps you guessing until the end. the characters in the motel are very well-fleshed out besides their stereotypical parts done in other whodunit movies. also the acting is really good by an amazing rounded cast, mostly powered by a great john cusack. 

the plot (though very intriguing) does get watery towards the end, and it sucks they reveal the twist too early and leaves a lot of questions and some editing problems but it’s so grimy hypnotic that i overall still enjoy it. it’s my kind of style, it’s a simple mystery with elaborate small moving parts. fyi i’m just a sucker for good mysteries so this was an old treat worth savoring again.

I’ve watched this plenty of times but somehow never realized it was directed by James Mangold

Very fun and twisty film with a great concept. The definitive early 2000s movie, imho

AULA de como estragar um bom filme no ÚLTIMO minuto.

Só vou fingir que não aconteceu e dar as 4 estrelas que ele merece pelo conjunto da obra.

Entertaining as hell. It’s only downfall is who the real killer is.

It all comes together like a shitty Swiss watch. Honestly if you’re gonna fuck around with this kind of self-consciously twisty plotting, please follow the example here and don’t go thinking you’re doing something deep and important. Give me a fun cast, move it along quickly and go out on a zinger. Well done, Jim Mangold, you can’t do this kind of horseshit any better than this. 

Hear all of my awesome opinions about it on my podcast The Suspense is Killing Us!

"As I was going up the stairs, I met a man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today. I wish, I wish he'd go away..."

B-movie schlock treated with the utmost seriousness and respect. Went in knowing nothing and ended up enjoying it a lot – it's just a lot of fun.

不同阶段的悬疑感营造的很到位，很喜欢穿墙的那个变换主体镜头

It's difficult to get into this movie without giving too much away, but goddamn is it a smart movie. Strangers gather at a motel during an intense storm before they start getting picked off one by one. Very "and then there were none" by Agatha Christie. Such a smart twist, you won't see coming. Don't look up anything about this movie, just go in blind and you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Well yea, that's good but i still dont get the idea of James Mangold's mind for this weird-twist-ending movie....

It starts off as a classic "Whodunnit" movie but then flips and twists on its head so many times your left astounded. I cannot imagine anyone who would not enjoy this movie, It keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end and I loved every minuite of it. Throw in an all star cast (Cusack and Liotta are fantastic here) And you have one Hell of a movie.

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

"As I was going up the stairs, I met a man who wasn't there. He wasn't there again today. I wish, I wish he'd go away."
-Malcolm Rivers

What a great movie

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.