Identity: James Mangold's Intriguing Whodunit Comes to 4K (Limited Edition 4K)

The Film:

Writer/Director James Mangold has had quite an eclectic career that has included musical biopics like "Walk the Line" & "A Complete Unknown," action adventures like "3:10 to Yuma" & "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," and even a couple of superhero outings with "Logan" & "The Wolverine." With five Oscar nominations under his belt, and a long list of big projects, people tend to forget that he also gave us the rather intriguing psychological thriller "Identity" way back in 2003, primarily known for being a smaller-scale whodunit with a clever twist ending.

While the film ended up receiving mixed reviews from critics, audiences would go on to embrace it well enough to make it a modest hit, while also giving it decent ratings. However, after that, it did seem to fade away over the course of the next few years, which makes it a nice surprise to find Arrow Films putting in the spotlight for a new 4K upgrade, with a handful of extras both new & old thrown in, so once again it's time to revisit another older work to see if it still packs the same punch that it did over two decades ago.

The film begins with a last-minute hearing being called for murderer Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince), who is to be executed the next day. New evidence has come to light that his psychiatrist (Alfred Molina) wishes to use to prove that Malcolm is insane, and therefore cannot be put to death. Meanwhile, we also meet a group of ten strangers who become stranded at a remote motel in Nevada during a major storm, including limo driver & former cop Ed Dakota (John Cusack), actress/Ed's passenger Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca DeMornay), Officer Rhodes (Ray Liotta), who is transporting murderer Robert Maine (Jake Busey), and George York (John C. McGinley) & his wife Alice (Leila Kenzle), who gets injured while traveling with her husband and their son Timmy (Bret Loehr). As the night goes on, members of the group begin to get picked off, with suspicion quickly cast on the escaped prisoner, but is he really to blame? And what connection does all of this have to the Malcolm Rivers case?

"Identity" is one of those films that asks for a bit of patience & leeway as it unfolds its tale. With it starting off with what appears to be a last-minute addendum to an already-decided case, the viewer may believe that they're in for some kind of courtroom thriller, that is before it suddenly shifts to what seems to be something else entirely: a murder mystery with a curious list of suspects. Any frustration that arises from the film's apparent fickleness in its storylines is partially understandable, but once the latter of these takes shape, it's more likely that the viewer will have already forgotten the change as they endeavor to solve which one of these strangers is responsible for the killings & the corresponding countdown displayed through their numbered room keys.

Michael Cooney's screenplay does a fine job of building the suspense, pointing the finger at a few possible suspects as any mystery writer would naturally do, leaving a number of possibilities as to who's committing the crimes & why. Of course, Cooney doesn't forget about the segment originally introduced at the beginning, which we see a little more of intermittently throughout, bringing about another mystery of how it relates to the whodunit that we've gotten ourselves invested in.

This brings us to what the film is probably most well-known for: The fascinating & creative solution to its mystery, which, despite being a 23-year-old film, will still not be spoiled here, but suffice it to say that it brings the film together quite nicely, uniting its two storylines in a rather satisfying manner. The only downside of the ending is that, once you know it, obviously it's not going to have the same impact upon rewatching it, though that doesn't mean one can't still admire the unique solution to this intriguing take on Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None."

When all is said and done, "Identity" has basically done what it sets out to do, which is to get you entangled in its mystery and trying to guess who the culprit is (on top of how it relates to its other seemingly-unrelated plot thread), all of which leads to its clever ending. It is a bit of a shame that this entry in Mangold's filmography doesn't get talked about much anymore, but with its new 4K upgrade, hopefully more people will revisit it or discover it for the first time, for even after more than 20 years later, it still holds up surprisingly well.

Video/Audio:

"Identity" comes to 4K in 2.35:1, 2160p Ultra High Definition transfers of marvelous quality for both the Theatrical & Extended Cuts. The new restorations from the original 35mm camera negative, approved by Mangold himself, present a beautifully sharp & clear picture throughout the entire runtime, even during the film's multitude of dark scenes. Likewise, the original lossless 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtracks for both cuts are excellent, giving you all of the dialogue, sound effects, and Alan Silvestri's score in outstanding quality. Overall, as usual, Arrow Films has done a wonderful job restoring the film in both areas for its new upgrade.

Special Features:

Commentary by Director James Mangold

Commentary by Screenwriter Michael Cooney

I Met a Man That Wasn’t There (13 Minutes) (New): An interview with actor Pruitt Taylor Vince.

Producing Identity (26 Minutes) (New): An interview with producer Cathy Konrad.

On The Set (14 Minutes): A behind the scenes featurette.

Deleted Scenes (4 Sequences, 6 Minutes)

Storyboard Comparisons (3 Sequences, 5 Minutes)

Conclusion:

James Mangold's "Identity" presents a rather intriguing whodunit that provides ample tension & thrills as the viewer tries to discover who's responsible for the killings and how this main storyline connects to its other seemingly-unrelated thread, all of which leads up to a surprising, unique, and satisfying solution to its tale. With a sharp screenplay by Michael Cooney, as well as a fine ensemble, it ultimately remains a compelling mystery that is worth revisiting as it arrives on 4K.

Score: 3.5/5

Now available on Limited Edition 4K.

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