UNKNOWN

Year: 2006
USA: IFC First Take / The Weinstein Company
UK: Optimum Releasing
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Bridget Moynahan, Joe Pantoliano, Barry Pepper, Jeremy Sisto, Peter Stormare, Peter Mark Vasquez, Mark Boone Junior, Ben Bray, Wilmer Calderon, Kevin Chapman, Clayne Crawford, Britt Delano, Amparo Grisales, Victoria Justice, Rick Lashbrook, Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, Mel Rodriguez, David Selby, Blair Williamson, Katie Piel, Zach Sobel
Director: Simon Brand
Country: USA
USA: 98 mins
UK: 85 mins
UK Certificate: 15 contains strong language and moderate violence
USA Release Date: 10 November 2006 (Limited Release)
USA Release Date: 3 November 2006 (Limited Release - New York)
UK Release Date: 13 April 2007 (Limited Release)
US Distributor
Synopsis

UNKNOWN is a taught, intense and suspenseful thriller that boasts a powerhouse cast, a brilliant premise and a unique visual style. Directed by Simon Brand, the film stars Jim Caviezel (THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, DeJa VU), Academy Award nominated Greg Kinnear (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE), Barry Pepper (FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS), Joe Pantoliano (THE SOPRANO'S) and Bridget Moynahan (I, ROBOT).

Five men wake up in a locked-down warehouse, none of them able to remember how they got there or even who they are. They soon realise that they were all part of a kidnapping...without having the slightest idea of which side they were on.

After a violent scuffle in the remote, dilapidated, chemical warehouse a barrel of the noxious chemical Chlorobenzylide has been spilled. Even in small doses it will temporarily cloud the memory and coherence of those who inhale it. In larger doses it causes stupor, unconsciousness and severe memory loss. In this case, the men in the room awaken with blank slates, unaware of even their own identities. It is clear they have experienced some traumatic event: one is bound to a pole, one has had his face smashed in, another is handcuffed to a pipe, while the remaining two are visibly roughed up. But no one remembers who they are or what they're doing there.

As the men slowly try to assemble the puzzle of their last few hours, the conflicts and challenges begin. How do you know who to trust, if you don't even know who you are? They slowly discover that they are all part of a kidnapping for ransom, but unable to tell the victims from the perpetrators. As each tiny piece of information comes to light, the dynamic between the men changes dramatically.

UNKNOWN is the feature directorial debut of accomplished music video and commercial director Simon Brand. Reminiscent of MEMENTO's style of filming UNKNOWN opens at the end of the movie and is told in reverse with an unforeseeable ending.