Netflix is so carefully curated that the streamer almost always has new movies coming out.
There are so many new films that not all of them chart on Netflix’s top 10 movie list.
That’s why Watch With Us is throwing the spotlight on Identity, the 2003 thriller directed by James Mangold.
Identity was only a modest hit in theaters, but it deserves a bigger audience. It’s also our pick for the one new movie you should stream this weekend on Netflix.
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The Cast Is Terrific
John Cusack received top billing for his role as former cop Ed Dakota, who works as a limo driver for an aging actress, Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca De Mornay). It’s an ensemble cast, but Cusack carries a lot of the movie on his back in the traditionally heroic role. The late Ray Liotta costars as Samuel Rhodes, an officer who is escorting a killer, Robert Maine (Jake Busey).
All of the characters mentioned above — as well as Paris Nevada (Amanda Peet), Ginny Isiana (Clea DuVall), George York (John C. McGinley) and a few others — wind up stuck at a remote hotel during a severe rainstorm. This unlikely group is also targeted by a killer who may be hiding among them. Cusack and Liotta have the standout performances, but Peet brings a lot of humanity to her role, and the rest of the performers play their parts well. This mystery wouldn’t matter if the cast wasn’t compelling.
The Story Is Intense and Exciting
Identity does offer some hints about what’s going on as it follows the template set out by Agatha Christie‘s murder mystery, And Then There Were None. Locked-door whodunits have been done before, but this movie ratchets up the intensity by confusing the characters with inexplicable events like disappearing bodies and wildly violent outcomes without an obvious killer.
Some of the best scenes feature Ed and Sam at each other’s throats as they try to figure out who’s targeting them and why. The movie also adds some suspense by introducing a seemingly unrelated subplot surrounding a convicted killer, Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince), which also leaves the audience asking questions. About halfway through the film, the movie answers those questions.
The Twist Reshapes the Entire Movie
It would be counterintuitive to give away this movie’s big twist in a piece that’s supposed to champion the film as something you should watch. So we won’t be doing that. What we will say is that this is the kind of twist that movies rarely pull off well, because it completely changes the way you look at everything you’ve seen beforehand.
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Once you know what’s happening, a lot of the previously glimpsed clues fall into place, and the story makes a lot more sense. Identity lives and dies by this reveal, and I loved it. It made the movie for me, and added a sense of tragedy to the proceedings, because the characters that the audience likes may not be able to make it to the end of the story.
Identity is streaming on Netflix.
