Unknown (2011)

 

Unknown - 2011

Coming up next we have 2011's action/thriller "Unknown", a film about a man who wakes up after an accident and discovers everything he ever knew about himself to be in doubt.  His road to finding out exactly who he is leads to some surprising and dangerous circumstances.

The film's cast includes Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones, Aidan Quinn, Frank Langella, Bruno Ganz, Sebastian Koch, Mido Hamada, and Karl Markovics.

Dr. Martin Harris and his wife Liz have arrived in a snowy Berlin, Germany, to attend a biotechnology summit.  Unfortunately, Martin leaves his briefcase containing his identification documents at the airport.

As his wife checks into their hotel, Martin hurries back to the airport without telling her where he is going.  On the way to get his briefcase, his taxi swerves out of the way on an icy road to avoid hitting something.  The car goes careening off of a bridge into the cold Spree.

Due to injuries sustained in the crash, Martin falls into a coma and ends up in the hospital for four days.  Knowing that his wife has no idea what has happened to him, he checks out of the hospital the first chance he gets.

However, when he finds his wife, Liz tells him that she doesn't know who he is, which confuses Martin.  She tells him and the hotel security that there has been some mistake because she has never seen this man before.

She even introduces a different man as her husband, Dr. Martin Harris.  This second Martin is able to produce travel documents and other means of identification to seemingly prove who he is.

In hopes of finding some answers, Martin finds the driver of the taxi that crashed into the Spree.  She now works at a diner, but he's relieved to know that she recognizes him.  Her name is Gina, and she's not particularly thrilled about seeing him.

Martin also enlists the help of Ernst Jurgen, a former member of the Stasi, the East German secret police.

Gina offers Martin a place to stay, and over the course of the film they grow closer.

The quiet of Gina's apartment is interrupted by a man who comes to kill Martin.  While he and Martin are fighting, Gina jabs a knife into his neck and kills him.

After doing some digging, Jurgen is able to give Martin some answers as to why he is in Berlin and his role in the biotechnology summit he came to attend.

And Martin finds out the full truth about himself when a man comes to see him and reveals that Martin is in fact an international terrorist who has set certain events in motion which this man does not want to come undone.

"You should've let me drown," says Martin after he tells Gina everything he knows.  "What matters is what you do now," she replies.

Martin decides to stop the assassination of a Saudi prince and a scientist who has developed a corn plant which will grow in harsh conditions, essentially ending world hunger.  The scientist wants to give this formula to the world for free, but certain parties want to exploit it for billions of dollars.

Saving these two men involves getting them out of the path of a deadly bomb that threatens to consume them all.

Happily, everything works out in the end.  Martin and Gina get new identities as husband and wife, Henry and Claudia Taylor.  They board a train in Berlin and head off for a new life together.

Cast rundown:

   Liam Neeson.................................Dr. Martin Harris

   Diane Kruger.................................Gina

   January Jones................................Liz Harris

   Aidan Quinn..................................Martin B.

   Frank Langella...............................Rodney Cole

   Bruno Ganz...................................Ernst Jurgen

   Sebastian Koch..............................Professor Bressler

   Mido Hamada................................Prince Shada

   Karl Markovics................................Dr. Farge

And that's all for Unknown.  Filming on location in Berlin was reportedly very difficult.  At the time the movie was being produced, the city was undergoing the coldest winter it had seen in twenty years.

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The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)

 

The Huntsman: Winter's War - 2016

Coming up next we have 2016's "The Huntsman: Winter's War", the sequel to "Snow White And The Huntsman".  In this installment, we discover the origins of the huntsman and what happened before and following "happily ever after".

The film's cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Nick Frost, Rob Brydon, Sheridan Smith, Alexandra Roach, Sam Claflin, and Liam Neeson.

As we focus in on the Magic Mirror, the Narrator begins our story: "What does a mirror show you?  What do you see?  An oft told tale.  That of Snow White, how she vanquished the evil Queen Ravenna and took her rightful place on the throne.  But there is another story.  One you have not yet seen.  One that comes long before happily ever after."

With the Magic Mirror at her side, Queen Ravenna lies claim to kingdom after kingdom, her power always growing.  Her sister, Freya, is always by her side.

Freya falls in love, and Ravenna begins to get jealous, wanting nothing to stand in the way of her relationship with her sister.

Eventually, Freya becomes pregnant and plans to run away with her lover after the baby is born.  Ravenna is not happy.  "You know much, Ravenna, but you do not know all," says Freya.  "I'm afraid I do," replies Ravenna.

Unbeknownst to Freya, Ravenna engineers a series of circumstances that sees Freya's lover killing their child.  Freya is so overcome with grief that magic awakens inside her and she kills her lover, becoming the Ice Queen.

In her grief, Freya builds an army and conquers the lands of the north, turning them into a frozen wasteland.

She takes the children of the villagers away from them and turns them into a highly trained force of huntsmen.  When they first come to her, Freya tells them she has only one law.  "Do not love!  It's a sin, and I'll not forgive it."

Two of the children in Freya's keep are Eric and Sara.  They grow to become the greatest of the huntsmen.  As adults, they fall in love and secretly marry.

Freya is extremely upset when she finds out at Eric and Sara's betrayal of her only law.

She causes a wall of ice to come between them.  On opposite sides, Eric witnesses Sara's death at the hands of Freya's commander.

Eric is ordered to be killed.  However, the commander beats him up and throws his body into a mighty rushing river instead.

Seven years later, Queen Freya's lands and power grow, while Queen Ravenna is defeated by Snow White and Eric the huntsman.

While out patrolling the forest one day, Eric is met by King William, Snow White's husband, who tells him that the Magic Mirror has gone missing, and Snow White is gravely ill because of the magic that the mirror still possesses.

Freya greatly desires the mirror, as it will give her much more power than she already has.

Eric agrees to take the mirror to a sanctuary so it's power can't harm anyone.  He's accompanied by two dwarfs, Nion and Gryff.  Along the way, he is surprised to bump into Sara, his wife whom he thought dead.  Apparently, on her side of the wall of ice that separated them, Sara witnessed Eric abandon her and run away.  The two of them reconcile and join forces.

In her frozen kingdom, Freya still mourns the loss of her baby, while she keeps a close watch on events.

Along the way to find the mirror, Eric and Sara and the two dwarfs bump into two more dwarfs, Mrs. Bromwyn and Doreena, who provide a bunch of comic relief to the group.

They find the missing mirror, and must battle some particularly fierce looking beings in order to take it.

The group takes the mirror to the outskirts of the sanctuary with plans to take it into the heart of the sanctuary the next day.

However, before the can continue their journey, Freya arrives with an army and takes the mirror for herself.

She hangs the mirror in her palace of ice and is shocked when she reads the writing engraved on the mirror's edge.  Out of the mirror comes her sister Ravenna, who entered the mirror at her death, waiting to be released.

Ravenna instantly takes charge of things, sitting on her sister's throne and beginning to formulate a plan to take revenge on Snow White and her kingdom.

While initially pleased to see Ravenna again, Freya becomes resistant to the way Ravenna has taken over.  "This is MY kingdom," she angrily tells Ravenna, who ignores her.

Eric and the group succeed in infiltrating Freya's palace.  When Eric tries to kill her, he is stopped by Ravenna, whom he is shocked to see.  "Hello, Eric, I've missed you," she tells him creepily.

Ravenna mounts an attack on Eric, who has also succeeded in turning Freya's army against her.  Freya tells Ravenna to stop attacking her "children".

Freya also commands Ravenna to reveal some certain information.  Afterwards, Freya finds out who truly was responsible for her child's death, and the truth couldn't be more horrifying to her.

While trying to freeze Ravenna to death, Freya is mortally injured by Ravenna.

With Freya incapacitated, Eric steps up to battle Ravenna.  "Do you still believe that love conquers all?" asks Ravenna.  Eric smiles and says, "Maybe not all.  Just you."

Just before she dies, Freya freezes the mirror.  Eric throws an axe into it and shatters it.  Ravenna lets out a mighty scream and then disappears into a flurry of golden birds.  What's left of her turns into a golden statue that crumbles.

Eric and Sara are free to be together, and the kingdoms that Freya and Ravenna laid waste to are restored.

Cast rundown:

   Chris Hemsworth....................................Eric

   Charlize Theron......................................Queen Ravenna

   Emily Blunt............................................Queen Freya

   Jessica Chastain.....................................Sara

   Nick Frost..............................................Nion

   Rob Brydon............................................Gryff

   Sheridan Smith......................................Mrs. Bromwyn

   Alexandra Roach....................................Doreena

   Sam Claflin...........................................King William

   Liam Neeson..........................................Narrator

And that's all for The Huntsman: Winter's War.  This was the first sequel that Charlize Theron took part in.  Initially, she was to be paid a lot less to reprise her role than Chris Hemsworth.  Theron refused to sign onto the film unless she was paid the same as he was.  Ultimately, the studio agreed to pay them both just over ten million dollars each.

In a post-credits scene, we find Snow White standing at a balcony, her back to the camera.  A mysterious golden bird lands on the railing beside her.

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