It is a performances centric movie

Good concept, poorly executed.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The atmosphere, good cast, great story, and other things that I won't say to spoil it.

This movie came recommended to me on Netflix spotlight since I watch so many thrillers/horrors, so I decided to give it a try and was blown away. You may think you know exactly what's going on and exactly what the movie is about, but you cannot predict the direction in which the story is headed until its revealed. First of all, I should point out that although 'Identity' is headed under the horror section on Netflix UK, it's definitely not a horror and although it's very suspenseful, the blood/gore is minimal and it's much more of a psychological thriller than anything else. So for any horror fans looking for a true horror, this may not be for you. However, if you're a fan of mind-bending psychological thrillers with a splash of the slasher sub-genre, this is perfect for you. 'Identity' is such a well thought out story that benefits from a talented cast, interesting characters and an intriguing story that is much more complex than it seems on first appearances. Unlike many other movies in the same genre, 'Identity' doesn't extend beyond its reach by throwing unnecessary twists and surprises that are illogical and irrelevant to the overall conclusion. Although the story is complex, every single piece of the puzzle fits together perfectly leaving no unanswered questions or lingering confusion. John Cusak is fantastic as the lead (no surprises there), but the entire cast is strong and give great performances. The characters themselves all had their own personalities and we were introduced to elements of their back-story which made them feel more distinctive as people instead of just a bunch of generic murder victims. The interactions between the characters are equally as strong and there's interesting dynamics that emerge between them immediately. Personally, I was a little confused as to how some of them seemed so familiar to each other so quickly, but just like everything else, it's all explained as the story progresses. I loved the way the twists were revealed because it was done at the perfect time and in a way whereby it was subtle and had you thinking for a few moments longer about what you were being told. But the second the dots connect it evokes an immediate response of awe and surprise. I also appreciated that the story still continued to develop further and progress at a steady pace after the reveal. Overall, this is a fantastic movie that is psychologically stimulating, clever and suspenseful and will have anybody that watches on the edge of their seat guessing what's going to happen next and who the big bad is. The best part is that very few people will figure it out by themselves, because it's THAT unexpected, yet when you know it you can't help but wonder how you didn't see it from the beginning.

Spoilers warning: for a 14-year-old movie Stumbling across this DVD recently, I looked up some reviews by both critics and users. A bit surprising that they are unanimously favourable.The fiendishly tantalising thing in these critic reviews is the references to the clever twist. They generally tell you that it is so clever that you cannot possibly see it coming. Then, one or two of them drop torturous hints that well, maybe, just maybe you can get something from this or that particular scene. If you don't think you have truly experienced frustration, try reading some of these critic reviews on "Identity".The main story, for those who know (from book or screen) Agatha Christie's popular mystery about ten people stranded in an isolated location being killed off one after another (title changed so many times, for political correctness, that I won't bother), look familiar. But look is deceiving.The "parallel" story, intersecting the main story with much shorter scenes, starts with an exasperated judge being called in late hours to hear the defence's final plead for a serial murderer going to execution in 24 hours. The psychiatrist's defence is multiple-personality, which might be novel for the 2003 movie, has been exploited to the fullest in the recent "Split" (2016).While the key plot twist was considered really clever back in 2003, it is less so for today's seasoned audience. It does not take a lot to put two and two together: the murder mystery is something in the serial killer's mind. With this one clean broad stroke, anything and everything that looks implausible is neatly exonerated. Not Agatha Christie after all - no ingenious plot. But there is one small FINAL twist that is quite clever. In the murder mystery (in the serial killer's head, remember), the sole survivor finds peace and quiet in the life she seeks. But a loose end has been hanging – two of the earlier victims met their death heading towards a car that exploded, presumably killing them. But absolutely nothing remained of these two, not even a small piece of charred substance. This was glossed over in the scene. But when one of those two (a pre-teen boy) turns up to kill the "sole survivor", the audience is not really surprised. It would appear that this is the true killer. But those in the audience who take one more step in their thinking will remember that there is one other purportedly killed in the car explosion. It is a woman, who never appears again. She is most likely to be the final, final true killer. This, however, is never confirmed in the movie.Despite the fact that the "clever twists" have lost their freshness, this is a movie well worth watching, for the good direction (James Mangold) and cast which includes John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, John Hawkes and Alfred Molina.

Identity is a movie of 2003. I am a lover of Thrilling movies. So, I have watched it some month ago. After watching this, I cannot imagine that it is a movie of 2003. It has several twists that changed the genre of the movie. At first I have thought that it is a horror film but twist changed everything. All actor showed their best. So, It is a must watch film indeed. Thanks Hollywood for making this brilliant movie.