Unknown

It's been almost three years since Liam Neeson donned a black leather jacket, flew to Paris, grabbed some guns, crashed some cars, spoke in a questionable American accent and kicked some sleazy European ass while searching for his kidnapped daughter. That was "Taken," an audience-pleasing, critic-shoving box-office smash that showed Neeson in a gritty new light. And now, in "Unknown," he's back in a similar position. Only this time it's not quite as awesome.

Here, he's playing Martin Harris, a respected doctor who arrives in a cold and wintry Berlin to do a presentation at a biotechnology summit. He's with his wife, Elizabeth (January Jones, "American Wedding"), who will also be attending the prestigious event.

When they arrive at the hotel, Martin discovers that his briefcase is missing, meaning he will have to go all the way back to the airport. He hops in a taxi cab, the driver (Diane Kruger, "Inglourious Basterds") takes a diversion because of traffic, and a refrigerator falls from a truck up ahead, causing the taxi to swerve out of the way and smash through a bridge's barriers. An unconscious Martin is saved from the water by the courageous driver.

Upon waking in a hospital bed, Martin is told by a doctor that his heart stopped for several minutes and that he's been in a coma for four days. Vague memories begin to come back to him, and he eventually decides to leave the hospital to see his wife. Problem: Liz has absolutely no idea who he is, and there's another Martin Harris (Aidan Quinn, "Jonah Hex") standing by her side.

Wildly confused, he desperately searches for the truth -- is he really Dr. Martin Harris or has he just gone totally bonkers? I think that question is answered when he discovers skilled hitmen are chasing him around Berlin. With seemingly everything and everyone pinned against him, Martin tries to prove that he is who he says he is as he tries to get his daughter back. Sorry, identity, not daughter.

Let me get something straight: I like Liam Neeson. I mostly enjoy the presence he has in most of his movies. There's something about him I find curiously appealing. Is he a wooden personality on occasion? Maybe. Is some of his line delivery stilted? Sure. Are his performances actually cringe-worthy in some of his roles? Definitely. But I like him.

I find him oddly charismatic and watchable as an actor, despite the near-bland performances he tends to give. He's like Nicolas Cage without the mind-boggling wigs or the in-your-face goofiness. I also find it impressive that the "Love Actually" actor is going down the action hero route at the age of nearly 60. He seems to be developing a late taste for guns and fist fights. Either that, or he's going through a severe mid-life crisis.

However, as much as I admire the Oscar-nominated Irish actor, he cannot save "Unknown" from melting into tedium. This film is meant to be a thriller, yet thrills are sporadic at best. Tense situations arise on occasion (a barely-conscious Martin reaching for a pair of scissors to free himself comes to mind), but their frequency has not been set high enough.

Spanish-born director Jaume Collet-Serra ("Orphan," "House of Wax") lightly sprinkles some adrenaline-fuelled action sequences throughout the runtime, and what there is on offer is able to hold attention. Still, the sole car chase that occurs halfway through the movie is a mess of confused editing that baffles as much as anything.

The script by Oliver Butcher ("Do You Know Me") and Stephen Cornwell ("Marshall Law") manages to sustain interest for around an hour or so, but the premise feels stretched and becomes exhausting by the last 30 minutes. We are at first intrigued by what Martin is going through, yet we tire of it come the third act.

"Unknown" is hooking to begin with, but has stumbled a bit too much when it reaches its inevitable twist ending. It's an implausible film which contains some nice action and a gripping lead performance, but is overall not as enthralling as it should be. Give me "Taken" or "Bourne" over this any day.

5/10