Fair Game (2011)

Doug Liman is a guy that should be pretty familiar with conspiracies by now. Having directed 'The Bourne Identity' and 'Jumper' (both of which involve men being hunted down), he returns to his stomping ground with political thriller 'Fair Game'. Bourne was brilliant. Jumper was mediocre at best. After a hit and a miss, has Liman finally found his sweet spot?

Based on a true story, 'Fair Game' has the tricky task of accurately depicting Valerie Plame's (Naomi Watts) CIA downfall while remaining entertaining enough for your average cinemagoer. Does it achieve this? Well as always this is a game of two halves. The first half deals with the complex issues of both Iraq, uranium in Niger and Valerie's relationship with her husband Joseph Wilson (Sean Penn). Some of the jargon isn't sufficiently explained during this first half (repeated mention of the word 'yellowcake' didn't help) and at times you may find scenes dragging on a bit. I have to admit there were one or two 'watch glances' during the first hour. So at halftime you may be forgiven for thinking this is going the way of another Liman turkey (namely 'Mr and Mrs Smith').

But don't write 'Fair Game' off quite yet as the second half is when things really start to get interesting. The pivotal moment comes when Valerie's name is printed in the New York Times, thus blowing her cover as an agent and jeopardising several ongoing missions in the process. Not to mention the effect it has on her family and the strain it causes on her marriage. Sounds juicy? That's because it is. Read up about the Plame affair and you will immediately see the makings of a great movie.

Watts and Penn basically run this film. Not much time is given to secondary characters and to be honest, that doesn't matter. The story and acting are strong enough to warrant just two leads onscreen. Watts and Penn are terrific, with Penn slightly outshining our leading lady. They have great chemistry and nothing appears forced. As with 'The Fighter', real footage is included during the ending credits showing Valerie giving a testimony.

'Fair Game' has a lot going for it. Top acting and a story that's waiting to spill off the paper and onto the screen. However, a couple of flaws leave it feeling slightly disjointed. While not being as good as Liman's breakthrough film, it's encouraging to see the director back on track after a few flops. And when that final whistle blows, you'll probably be relieved that you don't work for the CIA.

Unknown (2011)

Mr Neeson, it appears you have become the darling of the action genre and every director's go-to guy when they require a man driven to the edge. While this isn't a bad thing (as Liam Neeson plays this role remarkably well), I feared going into his latest thriller that we were going to see a carbon copy of the role he played in the 2008 film 'Taken'. Grab my hand and hold on tight, as we head into the 'Unknown'.

Jaume Collet-Serra's movie shares a lot of similarities with Luc Besson's 'Taken'. Neeson desparately running around a city trying to find the bad guys. Check. Impressive car chases that suspend belief. Check. An American trying to find his way around a foreign city. Check. The difference in 'Unknown' comes from its source. Based on a French novel called 'Out of my Head', Serra's plot is not a simple tale of connecting the dots. It has more brains than 'Taken' but does it have more heart?

The plot follows Dr Martin Harris (Neeson) as he arrives in Berlin for a summit on biotechnology. He is accompanied by his wife Liz (the ever enchanting January Jones). After a taxi journey to their hotel, Harris realises he has left his briefcase back at the airport. He sets off without his wife in a taxi driven by Gina (Diane Kruger). On the way, a road accident causes the taxi to fall off a bridge, at which point Gina manages to save Neeson. Harris wakes up in hospital a few days later with a bad head and a hazy memory. After locating his wife, he slowly starts to realise that something is wrong. Everyone is telling him he isn't Martin Harris. His wife is with another man with his name. Is he going mad or are darker forces at work here?

If someone was to ask me to describe 'Unknown' in a few words I'd say 'Bourne meets Taken'. While this isn't a bad thing, it does mean that Serra's film is slightly confused. On the one hard it sets out to be a gritty thriller in the vein of 'Taken'. On the other, it spins this slightly less than complex plot about memory loss and conspiracies. And here lies the problem. 'Unknown' is not quite as clever as it thinks it is. It lacks the intelligence of films like 'Inception' and uses too many tired plot devices. Basically we've seen it all before (and done better in some cases).

That doesn't mean that 'Unknown' is not an enjoyable movie. I was very entertained throughout. Neeson is perfect for this role. He seems like an average guy but there's always an underlying darkness within him. He's the kind of guy that you could imagine has to keep this buried deep inside of him. The rest of the cast are good but simply not given enough screen time for us to develop a relationship with them. Except for the fantastic Bruno Ganz. I last saw him playing Hitler in 'Downfall' and he commands the screen like few current actors today. I definitely think it was a wise decision for Serra to include him.

While 'Unknown' won't light the action genre on fire, it does simmer gently with enough thrills and spills to keep your average popcorn audience entertained. Perhaps Serra slightly overreached with a plot that could have been far simpler and delivered the same result. Less 'Taken 2' and more 'Taken 1.5', I would say.