Parents' Guide to

Unknown

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Disappointing, often-violent thriller has one good twist.

Movie PG-13 2011 113 minutes
Unknown Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 10 parent reviews

MarvelDAD
MarvelDAD Parent of 10 and 12-year-old
March 6, 2022
age 11+

This movie is great for preteens, younger is pushing it.

This movie was great, but at the same time quite disappointing. I defiantly expected more, due to Liam Neeson’s last thriller being Taken which was BRILLIANT. When I looked at the common sense review I was a little sceptical on the maturity side of this movie, so I decided to watch this movie first before watching the movie with my son who’s 12. This movie has some standard Liam Neeson action, some fistfights, car chases, explosions. I was though surprised with how little the gun fights were. This movie has defiantly been toned down from taken to fit the PG-13 limits. Violence: 2 car chases, several fistfights, the main character is in a car crash. Language: 3 s-words 4 damns 1 bitch 1 middle finger 1 Jesus Christ Sexual Content: There is a flashback scene where you see liam Neeson kissing his wife in a shower, no nudity. (I highly recommend skipping this scene, most parent reviews I see is saying the same) Overall I personally think that a mature 11 yr old or 12 can watch this the violence is not bad but skip the flashbacks scene.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much swearing
1 person found this helpful.
Parent123457890
Parent123457890 Adult
April 25, 2020
age 18+

Good movie unnecessary sexual scenes

Shower scenes, kissing, moaning, naked back shown. Braless T-shirt shows nipples. Sounds of neighbors having sex.

This title has:

Too much sex
1 person found this helpful.
See all 10 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Dr. Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) arrives in Berlin with his wife, Liz (January Jones), to participate in an important biotechnology conference. He discovers that he's left his briefcase at the airport and hops in a cab to retrieve it. The cab crashes and goes into the river, and Harris goes into a coma. When he wakes up, he tries to re-enter his life, only to find that another man (Aidan Quinn) has taken his place and that his wife doesn't recognize him. He enlists the aid of the cab driver -- a skittish, scrappy illegal immigrant named Gina (Diane Kruger) -- as well as a former Nazi secret policeman, Ernst Jürgen (Bruno Ganz), to help him figure out what's going on. Unfortunately, mysterious forces are out to stop him at all costs.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (10 ):
Kids say (27 ):

This movie is mostly a dud. In Taken, Neeson became an unlikely grown-up action hero, and the movie was a hit. There, he was cunning and crafty and working actively to rescue his daughter. In UNKNOWN (which is based on a 2003 French novel), he's a victim and almost helpless, and the movie fails to recapture the same magic. Director Jaume Collet-Serra spreads the drama out too far and the movie turns sludgy and slow, with the exception of the action scenes, which are choppy and junky, perhaps in an attempt to cover up their lack of logic.

Then comes the movie's big twist -- which is a good one and has the power to explain even the biggest head-scratchers of the first 90 minutes. But it doesn't help with the movie's pacing, lack of character depth and emotional involvement, and over reliance on silly, implausible fights and chases. Old-time character actors Ganz and Frank Langella provide a few brief moments of pleasure here and there, but otherwise, it's forgettable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. Is it thrilling or disturbing? Why? How does it compare to what you might see in a horror movie?

  • Is the main character justified in going to extreme mesures to retrieve his identity? What consequences does he face for his actions? Do the ends ever justify the means?

  • Did the movie's big twist work for you? How did it work? How does it change everything that came before it?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: February 18, 2011
  • On DVD or streaming: June 21, 2011
  • Cast: Diane Kruger , January Jones , Liam Neeson
  • Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors
  • Studio: Warner Bros.
  • Genre: Thriller
  • Run time: 113 minutes
  • MPAA rating: PG-13
  • MPAA explanation: some intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sexual content
  • Last updated: August 6, 2023

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