Identity,
directed by James Mangold, begins with a confusing fastforward
prologue, consisting of newspaper clippings, including
photos, about a boy who was abandoned by parents at a motel
and then jumps to a second scene, where a psychiatrist
(played by Alfred Molina) argues that Malcolm Rivers (played
by Pruitt Taylor Vince), a man about to be executed for
murder, should be spared because of some sort of mental
illness. Then the story begins on a stormy night, with
George York (played by John C. McGinley) driving his wife
Alice (played by Leila Kenzie) and young son Timmy (played
by Bret Loehr) down a Nevada highway when the car develops
a flat tire. The wife stands on the road while the husband
changes the tire, and soon another car comes along. The
second car, driven by Ed (played by John Cusack), is transporting
film star Caroline Suzanne (played by Rebecca De Morney).
While Ed momentarily looks away from the road to talk to
her, his car hits the wife. Cellphones do not work, and
the road is washed out, so Ed takes responsibility and
drives to the nearest motel, hoping that the injured woman
will regain consciousness. The five people check into a
motel, which is managed by Larry (played by John Hawkes),
who reports that motel phones do not work due to the storm.
A third car comes along, with a police officer, Rhodes
(played by Ray Liotta), and a legcuffed prisoner, Robert
Maine (played by Jack Busey); the police officer insists
on a room for the night. A prostitute, Paris (played by
Amanda Peet), also decides to stay at the motel for the
night, as the thunderstorm continues to impede normal travel.
The final guests are a newlywed couple, Ginny and Lou (played
by Clea Du Vall and William Lee Scott). One by one, the
ten motel guests die under unusual circumstances, reminiscent
of Agatha Christie's Ten Little Indians (1946).
One mystery is the obvious whodunit question; a second
mystery is what the news clippings, the motel deaths, and
a man on death row have to do with one another. An intelligent
filmviewer will tie up loose ends while walking out of
the movie, thanks in part to the movie title, but some
filmviewers may not make the connections. At the same time, Identity's
subtext is opposition to the death penalty, this time because
some killers are mentally ill, should not be executed,
and can be helped back to sanity with proper psychiatric
care. MH
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