Unknown, directed by Simon Brand, appears to be teetering on the brink of total surprise once promotion for it begins to appear. Overall, it is being promoted as a ‘psychological thriller’ Mr Caviezel plays a character, 'Jean Jacket' according to the credits, who is described by some as “...a dark mystery man”.   Simon Brand Known primarily for directing music videos, working with singers such as Enrique Iglesias and Jessica Simpson, this is Brand’s first feature film. The script was written by first-time screenwriters Darby Parker and Matt Waynee. It is reported that the story’s structure falls into the pattern of “Momento”, a story told remarkably in reverse. [ top ]   Character,'Jean Jacket' Because of the secrecy surrounding this story, its script, and character descriptions, the only details that we can find include: “‘Unknown’ opens with five men waking up in a chemical warehouse and realizing they don’t know who they are and how they got there. But through time they deduct that some of them are hostages and some are kidnappers. The men now must figure out who is who as they’ve learned the lead kidnapper is on his way and plans to kill the hostages.” Added November 3, 2006 It would give away too much of the early mystery of the characters' identity if we used the character's name here. So we will not include that spoiler here. [ top ]   Pre-release Notes Added March 8, 2005 (original post), moved from ‘What’s New’, August 9, 2005 We’ve received several confirmations of a long-rumoured new film for Mr C, that apparently begins shooting soon. This is the complete text as announced by Film.Guardian.Co.UK: “Jim Caviezel, who played Jesus in Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, will appear in Unknown, a thriller due to start filming later this month. The details of the plot and the characters are kept under wraps, but it is said to be in the style of Memento, the 2000 Christopher Nolan film that told its story in reverse sequence. Caviezel’s co-stars include Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix, Bound) and Greg Kinnear (As Good As It Gets). Unknown was written by first-time scribes Darby Parker and Matt Waynee and will be directed by Simon Brand”. ScreenDaily.com expands the announcement by revealing that the film is a psychological thriller that marks Brand’s feature film debut, Brand having directed music videos and commercials in the past. Further, the film is independently financed. ScreenDaily lists producers and agency management involvement in putting the project together. Finally, Mr C’s role is only described as that of a ‘dark mystery man’. As we get closer and learn more details, we’ll post a page so you can follow progress. Posted July 22, 2005 According to Zap2It, the Weinsteins and the Independent Film Channel have acquired North American distribution rights to this film. Until the Weinstein’s official departure from Disney in September, they may not concentrate on this task, but we know from their track record that they do know best how to market and distribute a film like this one. We understand that part of the film was shot in the Palm Springs, California area around Eagle Mountain. [ top ]   Release Notes Wow. Talk about secretive! Thanks to an e-mail to the site from an IFC worker, we were able to see this film yesterday at the IFC Film Centre in New York City. Yes, it was advertised and reviewed in local newspapers, but we will confess to not being able to ‘see this one coming’. In addition, you can see the film on cable. Our local cable provider, Comcast, includes IFC in its channel line-up. Apparently IFC and other producers decided to make the film available on a day-date release schedule for both theatres and video-on-demand services. We encourage you to check out your IFC-cable provider, and see this nice film for yourself—even if you do not live near an independent film house. Note  We do not normally comment on distribution strategies, but we like this one, very much. Making independent films available to their audiences using distribution channels other than independent film houses, means that more people can enjoy these films. In addition, distributors can leverage their promotion and advertising budgets by giving interested audiences new ways to see good movies. –ed. [ top ]   Reviews Added November 10, 2006 While the critics are not heaping praise on this film, at least one is willing to give credit where credit is due. Added November 11, 2006 And this, from the Chicago Sun Times. Added November 30, 2006 Filmcritic understands, appreciates and really, really likes this film. [We agree. —ed.] Added December 1, 2006 The Minneapolis Star Tribune recommends that you see this film. Note  Check your cable listing for the Independent Film Channel (IFC). If IFC is in your channel line-up, check your video-on-demand offerings. You may be able to see “Unknown” at home. [ top ]   FAQ Question Where can I find the official site? Answer As of November 3, 2006, we are happy to point to the IFC official site. Also, here is the Internet Movie Database page, for details. [ top ] Mr Caviezel