Due to a flood, ten strangers are stranded in a rural Nevada motel. As the evening progresses, the strangers soon begin to be murdered one by one. Just about everyone has something to hide and they soon find out that they have one startling fact in common.

I really enjoyed the story and circumstance here. It was genuinely interesting to try to piece together the visual clues and personal motives of the ten strangers. Few recent films have been this adept at presenting a setting, filling it with interesting characters and letting the audience loose on guessing at the truth.

Without giving too much away, I was left a bit unsatisfied with the final outcome of the story and the murders. It seemed like an all too easy way to tell a story. The best drama is presented with boundaries. Without boundaries, the story can go anywhere in an unexplained fashion. While, Identity doesn't run ram shot over reality, it does take the easy road. The outcome might be unexpected and make for a nice audience surprise, but it also steals a bit of the interest and much of the integrity of the story.

I conceed many viewers of the film may disagree with this point. And let there be no mistaking that Identity is a quality thriller.

Directed by James Mangold.