Identity (4K UHD Review)
Director
James MangoldRelease Date(s)
2003 (August 25, 2026)Studio(s)
Columbia Pictures/Konrad Pictures/Sony Pictures Releasing (Arrow Video)- Film/Program Grade: C
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A
Review
Long before director James Mangold sank his claws into the X-Men franchise and attempted to whip the Indiana Jones series into shape, he had built a career on making interesting, character-driven films like Girl, Interrupted, Walk the Line, Kate & Leopold, and Cop Land. In 2003, his then-wife, producer Cathy Konrad, had shown him a script written by Michael Cooney (Jack Frost), which enabled him to make an Agatha Christie-inspired mystery thriller, but with a twist. The result, Identity, was met with an impressive box office take and a mostly positive critical reaction. Despite the film’s healthy aftermarket life, many have sighted the film as having one of the more polarizing plot twists for a thriller of its kind, one that actually redefines the film as not so much a whodunit, but a psychological thriller... heavy emphasis on the psychological.
Limo driver and former cop Ed Dakota (John Cusack) is driving actress Carolina Suzanne (Rebecca DeMornay) through Nevada during a torrential rainstorm when he accidentally hits the wife of George York (John C. McGinley), Alice York (Leila Kenzle), who were on the side of the road changing a flat tire with Alice’s young son Timmy (Bret Loehr) still in the car. When the roads ahead wash out from the rain and after attempting to get help from a passing couple, Ginny (Clea DuVall) and Lou (William Lee Scott), everyone winds up at a rundown motel, run by Larry (John Hawkes), with Alice in critical condition. Also arriving is former prostitute Paris (Amanda Peet) and correctional officer Sam Rhodes (Ray Liotta), the latter of whom is transporting convicted killer Robert Maine (Jake Busey). Throughout the evening, some of them are viciously murdered, leaving Ed to figure out who among them is the killer, unsure of whom to trust. Meanwhile that same night, psychiatrist Dr. Malick (Alfred Molina) is attempting to convince Judge Taylor (Holmes Osborne) to hear his case in defense of mass murderer Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince), who will soon receive the death penalty if Malick can convince him of his innocence. Also in the cast are Marshall Bell, Carmen Argenziano, and Matt Letscher.
Identity is an incredibly difficult film to discuss without divulging the film’s major plot twist, which occurs sometime in its second act and completely re-contextualizes everything the audience has seen up to that point. Since there’s no way of getting around it, let’s just go ahead and declare that there’s nothing but major spoilers ahead for those who haven’t seen the film.
What Identity does better than anything is that it hooks you with a set of intriguing characters who are dropped into a situation in which one of them might be a killer. As a fan of whodunits both in film and literary form, that’s the plot that you signed up for, and that’s the plot that you want a resolution to. However, the twist that this is all happening in the mind of someone suffering from dissociative identity disorder renders all of the characters, their deaths, and the majority of the film’s events completely moot. There’s no reason to care about the outcome because none of it is real, and the body count doesn’t truly begin until the final minutes. In all honesty, it feels like a slap in the face to anyone expecting something more traditional from this plot, even if they haven’t been led to believe that it’s exactly what they’ll be getting out of it.
That said, up until the twist, the story can be gripping. The always reliable John Cusack is interesting to watch as he attempts to deduce what’s going on in this motel, even if you’re not entirely sure about him either. The same goes for the other characters, especially Ray Liotta, Jake Busey, and John Hawkes. There’s definitely something uncanny about what’s going on, perhaps even supernatural or fantastic, but it doesn’t stray from its basic whodunit formula, until it does. Once the twist is revealed, you begin asking questions about the motivations of the characters you’ve been privy to, and the film doesn’t bother to expand upon that. It’s just a blanketed “it’s all in his head” catch-all that leaves a number of enormous holes in its wake. It’s very reminiscent of 2003’s High Tension, 2010’s The Ward, and 2019’s Serenity, all of which have similar rug-pulling twists that range from absolutely maddening to utterly idiotic.
Sadly, at least for this fan of whodunits, Identity is only a partially entertaining film. The twist is ludicrous, not to mention that no judge would ever entertain the notion of throwing out a case simply because a psychiatrist ponied up his patient at the very last minute before his execution and declaring that he’s attempting to kill off his multiple personalities within, including the one who actually committed the real murders. All of it is just stupid. It would have been more perfunctory to have an edit of the film that somehow removed those elements for a more traditional mystery thriller, but I would have been happy. However, judging by the film’s fan base, I’d be in the minority on that.
Cinematographer Phedon Papamichael Jr. shot Identity on 35mm film (Kodak Vision 500T 5279, Fuji Reala 500D 8592) using Panavision Panaflex Millennium, Panaflex Platinum, and Panaglide cameras with Panavision Primo and C-Series lenses. The results were finished photochemically (with digital color timing) and framed theatrically at the aspect ratio of 2.39:1. Arrow Video debuts both the Theatrical and Extended Cuts of the film on Ultra HD with a 4K scan and restoration from the original camera negative carried out by Roundabout Entertainment under the supervision of Rita Belda from Sony Pictures Entertainment, with approval by director James Mangold. The image has been graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and encoded by Beatriz Alcalá Carrillo and Leroy Moore of The Engine House Media Services to a triple-layered BD-100 disc. (The Extended Cut contains a slightly longer opening and uncensored violence, with the running time lengthened by a little over a minute.) Compared to previous presentations of the film on DVD and Blu-ray, this is definitely a major step up in terms of clarity and how much more precise the resulting image is in UHD. Bitrates are maxed out, usually running somewhere between 80 and 100Mbps most of the time, with a much sharper picture that really gets into the minutia of details in backgrounds and on costumes and actors’ faces. Where things really excel is in the HDR grading, which achieves perfect contrast, allowing for some heavy blacks where every ounce of detail has been soaked up. The palette and flesh tones are also richer without ever bleeding or appearing oversaturated. The digital effects do stand out, particularly during an explosion in the latter half of the film, but the image is otherwise nearly perfect in presentation.
Audio is included in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, which has been restored and conformed by Sony Pictures Post Media Center in Culver City, with optional subtitles in English SDH. Only an object-based mix would improve upon this mighty, mighty surround experience. Score and sound effects are given plenty of room to move around in, with an ample of amount of bass and frequently steered effects. Dialogue is obviously king, and the ever-constant rain is textured throughout, never overpowering but always there in the background. It’s a dynamic soundtrack that really gives your home theater setup a workout.
Arrow Video’s 4K Ultra HD release of Identity sits in a black Amaray case with double-sided artwork, featuring the original theatrical poster artwork on one side (as well as the slipcover), and the home video artwork on the reverse. Also included is a 32-page insert booklet containing cast and crew information, the essay Stars, Storms and Stabbings? by Andrew Cardno, production notes, presentation details, production credits, and special thanks. The following extras are included on the disc, all in HD:
- Audio Commentaries:
- James Mangold
- Michael Cooney
- I Met a Man That Wasn’t There: Actor Pruitt Taylor Vince on Identity (12:56)
- Producing Identity: Producer Cathy Konrad on Identity (26:22)
- The Secret Behind Identity (14:18)
- Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by James Mangold (6:15):
- Domestic Disturbance (1:15)
- I Put You in 8 (1:03)
- The Search for Caroline (2:53)
- The Face in the Mirror (1:13)
- Storyboard Comparisons (4:47):
- Lou’s Demise (3:31)
- George’s Death (:43)
- Rhodes’ Backstory (:38)
- Theatrical Trailer (2:20)
- Image Gallery (323 in all)
Things begin with a pair of archival audio commentaries, one with James Mangold from 2003, and the other with screenwriter Michael Cooney from 2007. Mangold provides a very thoughtful and detail-oriented track, delving into the development and making of the film. Cooney is no less meticulous, but he’s the more playful of the two as he offers his side of things, with particular regards to what was in his screenplay versus what wound up in the final film. Even if you’re not enamored with Identity like myself, both tracks are absolutely invaluable to learn more about it.
I Met a Man That Wasn’t There features a new interview with actor Pruitt Taylor Vince who talks about his earliest acting days, working on Angel and Mississippi Burning, previously working with James Mangold on Heavy, being cast in Identity and developing his character through multiple characters, portraying villains, being thankful for the role, running into fans at airports, and closing with a very memorable fan encounter. Producing Identity is also a new interview, this time with producer Cathy Konrad who discusses being an avid reader, meeting Dino De Laurentiis and being invited to a film set for the first time, her first movie-related job, working with Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall on Arachnophobia, developing scripts, producing Kids and Scream, becoming involved with Identity and collaborating with her then-husband James Mangold, various aspects of the production, and the film’s following today.
The Secret Behind Identity (titled On the Set on the main menu) is a vintage behind-the-scenes featurette containing interviews with John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Cathy Konrad, and James Mangold. Four short Deleted Scenes follow, which also include optional commentary by James Mangold. Next are a set of Storyboard Comparisons for three scenes. Last is the theatrical trailer and an Image Gallery containing a massive archive of 323 production and behind-the-scenes photos.
Fans of Identity will certainly be pleased with this upgrade. I have reservations about its outcome, but there are still aspects of it that I appreciate, including John Cusack’s and Ray Liotta’s performances. Even in a film that I have issues with, they still manage to hold things together. Arrow Video’s 4K release carries over all of the previous extras and upgrades the presentation masterfully. For those who appreciate Identity, this is a highly recommended disc.
- Tim Salmons
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