Director Jaume Collet-Serra provides a steady flow of suspense and a very Polanski-esque feeling of paranoia.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz
There are a couple of intriguing ideas floating around here and there, but that's all they do - float around, unmoored by any sense of reality and, thus, suspense.
Unknown is never boring, and Collet-Serra mostly keeps up a lively pace, but he doesn't do the movie any favors with the flat, dull way he films the scene in which we finally learn what's going on.
Unknown is probably the movie "The Tourist" wanted to be, if it had a pulse. Its sheer momentum makes Neeson and Kruger more attractive than even Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie.
Beyond the occasional plot frissons and juicy supporting turns, it's an emotionally and psychologically threadbare exercise.
Entertainment Weekly by Lisa Schwarzbaum
The movie whips up a big old puree of ingredients borrowed from other cinematic recipes.
As with its protagonist, Unknown boasts tantalizing issues buried deep beneath its frantic exterior, but little idea how to unlock or address them.
Unknown makes no sense at all, so you not only worry about Liam Neeson's judgment in movies, but you begin to wonder if he's forgotten how to read.
Orlando Sentinel by Roger Moore
It's a solid, engrossing thriller, but a slack one.
Tampa Bay Times by Steve Persall
Unknown is finely tuned pulp filmmaking, a dumb movie with a smart veneer, which is nothing to sneeze at.