Unknown


The vast majority of my knowledge of Hollywood comes from the TV show Entourage. In season two of the HBO show Vince is trying to convince his agent that he doesn't want to be typecast and that is one of the reasons why he doesn't want to play the part of Aquaman. This point is further proven during season six when David Schwimmer shows up at Ari's agency and talks about how he doesn't want to play neurotic comedian like he did on Friends.

I'm officially calling BS on this point. On the phone with a friend earlier this week we discussed how this week's movie Unknown looks just like a sequel to Taken. This got me thinking, most actors play the same character, just in different movies. Let me toss out a few examples for you:

Denzel Washington:
One of my all time favorite actors, and I now realize why. Denzel plays two different characters it almost every movie; the bad ass cop (see: Training Day, American Gangster, Deja Vu, Inside Man, Man on Fire, Out of Time and Crimson Tide), or lately it's been the blue collar hard worker (see: The Taking of Pelham 123, Unstoppable, Remember the Titans, or John Q). As a movie goer it's great because you know exactly what to expect when you see Denzel on the big screen.

Zach Galifianakis:
One of the newer additions to this list. America's favorite funny man plays the role of the idiotic goofball perfectly (see: The Hangover (and coming soon The Hangover 2), It's Kind of a Funny Story, Due Date, Dinner for Schmucks, and Youth in Revolt). While he is certainly better in some of those over the others (Due Date was soooooooooooo bad!), you won't be on the look out for Zach winning a best actor award anytime soon.

Adam Sandler:
Perhaps the winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award for playing the exact same character. I'm not going to list all the movies he plays the same character in because you can click on his name above and see his IMDB page.

I had planned on adding Liam Neeson to this list based on his roles in Unknown, Taken, and The Next Three Days, but a quick peek at his acting resume swayed me to believe he is actually quite diverse, AKA he was in Star Wars which means he can't be the same awesome character in everything because Star Wars sucks. That's right, I said it.

I could go on, and on and add more people to this list but that's not what I'm here for. I'm here to tell you to go see Unknown. It is tough for me to discuss what I liked and disliked about this movie without totally giving away the plot. That being said, don't give up on this movie, it's pretty good. Even if you disagree you get to spend two hours watching January Jones on screen the size of a small building. That's a win, win.


Unknown
Directed by: Jaume Collet-Serra
Written by: Oliver Butcher, Stephen Cornwell, and Didier Van Cauwelaert
Starring: Liam Neeson, January Jones, and Diane Kruger
My Rating: 4 out of 5
Would Gene pick it?: Yes

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