MovieChat Forums > Unknown (2011) Discussion > Okay, I'm confused. I need answers.

Okay, I'm confused. I need answers.

posted 14 years ago by Pure_Narcotic
90 replies | jump to latest

I just looked through a lot of the posts on this message board. I keep seeing the word "unrealistic", and people are going on about the scenes that they found stupid, or annoying.

Did ANYONE find the ladder scene unrealistic, stupid or annoying? I thought for sure that at least one person would have said something about it by now. I just watched the film two days ago. When that guy flies down the ladder THAT fast, and then lands all nicely, and doesn't have broken legs? Or completely torn up hands? That was ridiculous! My friend and I could NOT take the rest of the film seriously once that happened. It completely ruined it for both of us. Sooooo cheesy and random as hell. We laughed so hard we were nearly crying. I think it's hilarious. I just can't believe no one has said anything. Unless I just missed it, in which case...sorry.

~Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Weep, and you weep alone.~

[–] JrnlofEddieDeezenStudies 13 years ago

You're not confused, you've just got that infuriating realism fetish. Get rid of the fetish, and maybe you'd be more fun to be around.

http://www.rateyourmusic.com/~JrnlofEddieDeezenStudies

[–] monkeymunky 13 years ago

i rarely read a whole 5 pages of replies to what was a simple post let only reply but im surprised what a reaction one comment can make. ill keep it simple too, i laughed and thought it was a bit comical. but i think once a scene makes you giggle in what is supposed to be thought of as a serious film it always going to lose a bit of something for you. It would have been good if he had grabbed his nuts at the bottom of the ladder because he had been bashing his balls on every rung on the way down!

[–] Dragonsouls 13 years ago

Why did Martin fake being delusional? I doubt the knock on the head really made him think he was his cover.

[–] jesse-johannes-viljanen 12 years ago

That scene was something cinemasins would point out and if you dont know who that is then look it up on youtube and i liked the movie i enjoy this kind of mind *beep* movies

[–] minhal92 13 years ago

Okay, I agree that scene was absolutely stupid and honestly I found myself thinking the same thing, but it wasn't that funny and they were plenty more unrealistic scene's in the movie tbh.

[–] sebastian111 13 years ago

No no, you are all wrong.
After the car falls into the river you can see the broken fence from the bridge.
Look in the lower part of the screen, I think in the first pixels - down right.
And how ridiculous, the screws from the fence are, can u believe that - round,
while of course everyone knows in reality they are always rectangle.

That's a fatal mistake in my opinion. You just don't do that in a movie. I left the theater after that btw.
THAT's the most unrealistic scene from the movie !

[–] larynxman1 13 years ago

Hahahaha! Probably the most apropos response so far.

[–] rufnedge-2 13 years ago

Sorry I'm a partial post reader.. answer to the latter, why would that be unrealistic when firemen do the same thing?

So the girl taxi cab driver and Martin did or did not know each other?

"Let's have some yum yums, I've made snacks"... Dane Cook

[–] amystarr76 13 years ago

Actually on the episode of Three's Company (if you guys ever watched the show)
the episode "kelptomanic" Jack (john ritter) shows Mr. Roper how easy it is to get down from the ladder and he does it the same way as that no speaking part assassin (did he have a speaking part don't remember)

so it's possible to get down if Jack the whimp can do it, I'm sure an experienced assassin can do it.

[–] sarabandit 13 years ago

While the scene was pretty ridiculous, I soon forgot about it with all the other issues. I too, am not a huge fan of action movies. I did however, like "Taken" and was deluded into thinking this might be more of the same. I didn't HATE the movie. It entertained for a time but was still absolutely ridiculous.

Somehow all the movies that "Unknown" borrowed from (Bourne series, Hitchcock's movies) managed to be less ridiculous than this movie with all the same ideas. IDK, this one just didn't work for me.

Sell crazy someplace else, we're all stocked up here.

[–] MrCottonsParrot 13 years ago

Sorry I'm a partial post reader.. answer to the latter, why would that be unrealistic when firemen do the same thing?

Firemen don't do the same thing. The guy used only his hands to carry his weight while he slid down the ladder, which would still burn at that speed, even if it was frozen.

With firefighters, it is mostly the fabric of their clothes touching the pole while sliding down. And they only descend one floor at a time, not more than 8 or 9 feet.

I laughed at that bit too, but it didn't ruin the film for me. The "gloves" idea as suggested above though, would have been better.

So the girl taxi cab driver and Martin did or did not know each other?

Did you partially watch the film too?

Is it not obvious he did not know her to begin with, but after she saved his life twice, they sort of got to know each other?

"Champagne for my real friends, and real pain for my sham friends..."

[–] Amry0217 13 years ago

That slide down the ladder, my first impression, I was amazed how unrealistic it was but didn't think about it too long. Like that motorcycle turning a 180 on it's front wheel in Mission Impossible (was that possible?) but I didn't dwell on it
==============================
He lifts me clear to the sky, you know he taught me to fly.

[–] chris1987 13 years ago

chris mullen.why so serious? its only a film.we watch these films to be entertained.Every movie is over the top in some way.look at james bond for example.Why watch it if you know its going to be cheesy and over the top?.Just saying.

[–] bisho4 13 years ago

Just watched the ladder scene you described.

Although the stunt is not something I would try, it would be entirely plausible due to icy conditions reducing the friction of the steel on the hands. As you know, metal becomes quite slippery when frozen, and it would have been very difficult to get a good grip on the ladder anyway, so I doubt his hands would have been as "torn up" as they would have in warmer weather.

Also, there was a few inches of snow on the ground, which may have softened his landing a little.

[–] misonyea 13 years ago

maybe he was controling the speed with his feet plus he's a trained professional assassin

[–] SBL84 13 years ago

When he did that, I assumed they were going to turn out to be cyborgs or something crazy like that. But that's also combined with what appeared to be robotic movements of the other guy, and their seeming inability to be hurt.

But assassins in movies always have higher pain thresholds than normal humans. That's why it took a few hits from a car to take him out later. So even if he did hurt his hands doing it, he just sucked it up and moved on to get the job done without bitching and moaning about how much doing that hurt his hands.

[–] scottiedundee 13 years ago

No. You're not alone. I actually quite enjoyed the film but I did laugh out loud at the ladder trick. Totally unnecessary and out of the blue. And it wasn't Neeson who did it as some posts suggest, it was the dark assassin (good name!). It just didn't fit in with the mood of the piece.

Confused?.....You will be.

[–] GetITpapi 13 years ago

and wasn't he naked about to get in the shower like a second before that scene?? then they show him fully clothed escaping down a ladder. too much!!

You're going to have to work for your meal!

[–] scottiedundee 13 years ago

It WASN'T Liam Neeson going down the ladder!!

Confused?.....You will be.

[–] TreeHuggerKyle 13 years ago

It was probably just so they wouldn't have to show him climbing down the ladder, because climbing down normally would have taken a long time.

Although, they could have shown him starting, then cut away, and come back when he was finishing. Or they could have just not had it on the top floor. So they definitely had better options, but showing him sliding down for 3 seconds was better than showing him climbing down for a full minute.