There’s nothing like a good, unexpected movie twist. You’ve got the iconic all-timers like Charlton Heston seeing the Statue of Liberty at the end of Planet of the Apes, or Luke learning Darth Vader’s true identity in Empire Strikes Back, that will always be at the forefront of conversations. But those surprise endings are far from the only twists deserving of that level of attention. Back in 2003, director James Mangold and writer Michael Cooney teamed up for a propulsive little thriller that packed an enormous twist — one that still blows the minds of new viewers more than two decades later.
Mangold’s 2003 thriller Identity is a movie you may not hear people talking about a lot these days, but it has one of the wackiest and most unforgettable twists in movie history. It’s a lean little thriller set at a roadside motel during a storm that has caused several road closures. Several strangers arrive under mysterious, related circumstances, hoping to wait out the storm — but someone amongst them is a killer, and they start dropping one by one. The star-studded cast includes John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, and John Hawkes, and they help draw you into the shady world of the motel. Once you get comfortable, though, the rug is ripped out from under you, and you realize this isn’t a straightforward thriller after all.
The Unforgettable ‘Identity’ Ending
It should go without saying, but we’re going to dive deep into spoilers here, so if you want to experience Identity’s ending without knowing anything (which is the best way to do it), stop reading now. If you’re still here, let’s talk about how Identity comes to a close.
Along with the strangers at the motel, there is a side story throughout Identity that features Alfred Molina as the psychiatrist of a criminal on death row. An emergency hearing is called in the middle of the night — in the middle of the storm — for Molina’s character to prove that his patient shouldn’t be executed. When a detective (Liotta) shows up to the motel with a prisoner (Jake Busey) in his custody, you start to wonder if that’s how the two stories are tied together; but that would be too simple, wouldn’t it?
The motel is filled with twists and turns involving its characters, but they mainly serve as rabbit holes that distract you from the truth of the situation. When the psychiatrist brings in his patient, Malcolm (Pruitt Taylor Vince), it is revealed that he suffers from a dissociative identity disorder. According to the doctor, a childhood trauma caused him to create multiple personalities within his mind, and one of those personalities is the killer responsible for the murders that landed Malcolm on death row. This is where things get crazy.
As it turns out, those multiple personalities are the people at the motel. Everything happening at the motel, every single character, exists solely within Malcolm’s mind. None of them are real, at least not in a tangible way. From Liotta’s criminal posing as a cop to Peet’s prostitute trying to build a better future, each one of them is a personality living within Malcolm’s head. The motel scenario was created with the help of the psychiatrist in the hopes that the other personalities could weed out which one of them was the killer and eliminate them, proving Malcolm would no longer be a danger. Basically every minute of the film’s main plot wasn’t actually real.
But That’s Not All…
As if one twist wasn’t enough, Identity throws another one at everyone before it concludes. Most everyone at the motel is dead, and a couple of them — including a young boy named Timmy — completely disappear. When only three remain, it is made clear that Liotta’s character is the killer, and Cusack’s detective-turned-limo driver takes him down with his final breath. That leaves Paris, the former prostitute, as the lone survivor, and she flees for Florida and the newly purchased orange grove that awaits her.
After being taken off death row and ordered to a mental health facility, Malcolm is seen saying the same things as Paris after she makes it to the orange grove, alluding to the fact that she’s the only personality left in his mind, and he can be at peace as they try to recover his actual self. However, as she tends to an orange tree, somebody comes up behind her. Timmy, the boy who went missing after seeing both his parents die, stands above her with a gardening tool, preparing to kill her. The little boy was the murderer all along, and he takes over Malcolm’s body on the way to the hospital. The very last moment of the movie sees Malcolm, controlled by Timmy, killing his psychiatrist and seemingly escaping custody.
‘Identity’ Just Got a Major Upgrade
While Identity isn’t on any prominent streaming services at the moment, it is currently having a moment in the home entertainment spotlight. Tuesday saw Arrow Video release a brand new 4K Blu-ray edition of Identity, which completely revamps the film and helps it look as good as it did in the theaters 23 years ago.
Arrow’s 4K edition of Identity gives the film the rich layers it needs to really pop, which was hard for previous DVD and Blu-ray releases, given that most of the film takes place in the dark and in the pouring rain. There’s some incredible texture to this transfer, and it captures that early 2000s era look in a way that will make any fan nostalgic. The release also includes brand new interviews with Pruitt Taylor Vince and producer Cathy Konrad, as well as several previously released commentaries and deleted scenes.
- Release Date
-
April 25, 2003
- Runtime
-
90 Minutes
