A 2003 thriller directed by James Mangold.

Cast and crew: "Ed" - John Cusack
"Det. Rhodes" - Ray Liotta
"Paris" - Amanda Peet
"Larry" - John Hawkes
"Ginny" - Clea DuVall
"Caroline" - Rebecca De Mornay
"George" - John C. McGinley
"Robert" - Jake Busey
"Alice" - Leila Kenzle
"Lou" - William Lee Scott
"Doctor" - Alfred Molina
"Malcom" - Pruitt Taylor Vince
"Timmy" - Bret Loehr
"Judge" - Holmes Osborne
"Det. Varole" - Frederick Coffin

I tried not to give away too much in this review.

These days it seems essential that a thriller have some sort of twist at the end of the movie. Although a good twist can really add to the enjoyment of a theater experience, such tricks can become tiring and writers had better not solely rely on it to make a movie pleasing. Director James Mangold manages to make "Identity" worth a trip to the theater despite the fact that it has not one but several twists.

So yeah we have some of the scary movie cliches: Yup, it was a dark and stormy night. Ten strangers get stuck at a seedy motel and all of them have something to hide. You get the expected melange of characters; a couple with a child, a chauffeur and a mean-spirited actress, an attractive young prostitute, a cop and his psychotic prisoner, and a just-married couple. Oh and not to mention the skangy motel manager. One by one they show up, and one by one they each get picked off. The blood trail begins with the resident in motel room 8.

From the beginning the movie keeps the tension set on high, with a nasty car accident complete with blood-a-gushing. Once the murders begin, the doomed bunch gather in one room. They are directed to stay together but naturally several do not follow orders and wander off — providing those delightfully irritating moments when you just want to yell an assortment of put-downs to the characters on screen. At first everyone seems sure they know who the culprit is until the supposed murderer is killed. And that's when things get really creepy. For a few moments it was creepy enough to make my eyes water.

So that's about all that can be said without giving too much away. Mangold, whose previous directing credits include fine films such as "Heavy" and "Girl, Interrupted," continues his winning streak with "Identity." The twists fit fairly well and are not too confusing. John Cusack gives a terrific performance (as always) portraying the most level-headed individual of the bunch, the chauffeur. Cusack and the rest of the cast (which includes Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Clea Duvall and John C. McGinley) work well together, helping to make this film a decent thriller — to me much better than "The Ring."

Grade: B+
Rated: R for violence and language