Displaying influences of far too many thrillers to count, "Unknown" wastes a terrific cast on a hopelessly contrived premise that, adding insult to injury, is executed awkwardly.
IFC First Take's deliberately convoluted and ambiguous tale of five men who wake up in an abandoned warehouse suffering from collective amnesia -- don't ask -- might have worked as a taut, one-set stage production, but on film its artificialities are far too glaring. The unrated release earned just $3,746 from two theaters when it opened last weekend.
The men in question -- played by Jim Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Joe Pantoliano, Barry ! Pepper and Jeremy Sisto -- soon figure out that they were involved in the kidnapping of a wealthy business executive and his underling. But they have no idea which of them are the kidnappers and which the victims, though the fact that some of them are injured and tied up might be a clue. As they attempt to figure out the situation, the inevitable "Reservoir Dogs"-style tensions result.

Meanwhile, a series of flashbacks -- triggered by meaningful glances into a mirror, naturally -- provide further pieces of the puzzle, as do outside scenes depicting the police investigation of the case involving the kidnap victim's wife (Bridget Moynahan) and the other members of the gang (led by the ever-menacing Peter Stormare).
Matthew Waynee's dialogue-heavy screenplay, though undeniably high concept, fails to sustain interest for even the less than 90-minute running time, and director Simon Brand's overly stylized execution doesn't help matters. The performers ratchet up the intensity as best they can to varying effect, with Pantoliano, as usual, delivering the most pungently effective performance.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter