User Reviews

Val Kilmer, looking nice and swank, heavier... but I still miss the old days when he played roles like the Saint. Then, we saw a much sharper, expressive, and exciting Kilmer. In this movie, Kilmer plays a doctor who becomes mistaken for a secret agent/diamond dealer, with the usual nefarious consequences. The story does try to keep you interested till the very end, but I felt Kilmer was a bit of a letdown.

The movie takes place in Bulgaria, not Chechenya, and from there, moves to Prague. Most of the supporting actors seem to be slavic, but they all acted well. I could find no fault there. The girl, Katrine (Izabella Miko) is beautiful and acted well too.

The main plot is not about saving anyone mysterious, nor protecting her from assailants. The girl is a secret double agent, working both for a British group seeking to control a diamond cartel, and the Bulgarian/Czech people who also want control of the same. The girl bumps into Kilmer, while running from being captured taking pictures for the Brits, kiss to make believe it was intentional to shake them off, and that begins a love affair, so strong, both were willing to risk their lives for the other. Whether or not you believe this is highly improbable depends on your definition of the word, but that is the plot, in a nutshell.

This is not to say that the movie is just a frivolous jamboree of hastily made-up story lines. No, it was OK, considering the story is nothing new, and similar plots have been used many times before. It would be a mistake to compare this movie with older ones of similar ideas, such as 007 Diamonds Are Forever. Such movies were a tour de force. It would be an injustice to make such comparisons, so the best thing to do, I guess, is just to take this one as a standalone, and judge it by its own merit. Doing so, it is not a shining accomplishment, but neither does it fail miserably.

So, bottom line: "will I like it?" If you like this kind of plot, it will keep you interested, but you'll have to follow the story carefully to avoid becoming confused. I know I did until I started doing some facial recognition. Despite the blasé storyline, it's not a bad waste of time.

The only reason to watch this movie is if you are a Val Kilmer fan, otherwise its pretty forgettable.

It tries too hard to be clever but ends up spinning you around so much you just lose interest.

It doesn't seem that long ago that Val Kilmer was a big star appearing in major Hollywood movies - it's kind of sad to see that just about all of his recent work has been for the straight-to-DVD market. And in these films (and this one), he appears to have put on some weight, looking somewhat puffy and tired. Actually, aside from that, he doesn't have much to be ashamed about for this particular straight-to-DVD movie. It has its faults - the story is set in 1992 for no apparent reason, Kilmer's character is not properly introduced, and for a thriller, the movie is surprisingly calm - it could have used with a bit more juice in its narrative and a few exciting action scenes. Still, the movie is professionally filmed, a trademark of Millennium Films/Nu Image, and it's nice to see one of their shot-in-Bulgaria movies actually set in Bulgaria! And while the movie could have been more engaging, it does manage to set up a mystery that keeps you watching - there's never a time I could consider anywhere near boring. No, don't seek it out, but if it comes on TV during a slow day, you could do worse.

The older Val Kilmer gets the worst he is.

Fatty, heavy, clumsy and without any ability to show any emotion. He looks like a stoned junkie.

The story itself is below average.

Double, triple, quadruple agents are messing with each other without any sign of consistency.

Boring characters, boring storyline, no acting, predictable outcome.

Everything is there to make you feel cheated.

The main disappointment is Kilmer. I think he is drinking too much. His face is puffy, he moves like a tired elephant.

Don't waste your time...

Probably one of the lamest movies I have sat through in recent memory and only exhaustion kept me from finding something else. Val Kilmer has gotten so heavy I worried about him stroking out while trying to run through the woods in an early scene. Then when I realized the movie made no effort at real athletic stunts, I quit worrying. The so-called passion between the 2 stars was the most imaginary part of the whole movie. It was so imaginary, in fact, it was nonexistent. The plot was so convoluted that for awhile I was tricked into believing it was complex. By the end I realized it was just confused. The only reason I am wasting my time writing this review, is to keep you from wasting your time watching this movie. You have been warned.

Well, folks, here's the thing... Nu Image is all about business. Invest "X" amount of money, get "X x 2". That's why you get the results this studio is showing recently. For a couple of millions you can NOT get a Hollywood star, neither you can get a real Hollywood set or decent script that can make the story interesting. Same goes for the FX effects and all the stuns. At the end you have "X" amount of DVD market sells, that breaks the bill for Nu Image and some profit. But, you get Val Kilmer, Wesley Snipes, Jean Clode or Steven Segal. Most of the time… By the way, all of them have a hell of a time in Bulgaria, because the clubs, drinks, food and specially the girls are cheap, and they come in great quantities and varieties. For an average US viewer this movie will be a mess of unsubstantiated facts, story lines and unjust mix of languages that make no sense. But hey, who gives a damn in that type of a B-movie weather the cars are from the age, the cell phones are current or anything in the story make any sense or not. Once you get Nu Image release all you want is some action, stuns, gun fight, FX and naked pretty girls. You don't get every time all of the above in enough quality and quantity, but life is unfair anyways....

For all Bulgarian viewers, the movie was a bouquet of ALL Bulgarian movie stars gathered together in funny roles. Even the tight budget by US movie standards, is more than enough to pay all those Bulgarian actors plenty. Show your self for 30 seconds, don't say a word, get a thousand bucks or more. In Bulgaria that's a bargain. Izabella Miko is a charm, too bad she does not get naked here. Val Kilmer is kind of drugged or drunk (from all that night life he got in Sofia maybe) All the Bulgarians are fine – the do their job professionally. Almost no FX what so ever, no dissent stuns. Couple of good scenery shots in Sofia. Extremely stupid and lame story.

That's it folks

The story-line is too boring, too much mystery & most scenes make no sense at all. the woman is risking her life & her plan for a total stranger. he's smoothly dealing with action & killings for a doctor!. You can't keep the viewer from simplest facts in the plot till its half! bad and unrealistic had to go through the full film waiting for better action or time line, still it ends worst than it starts. Barely watchable Not worth going out for nor even watching on your DVD screen. Lacking plot, cohesion & drama. Val Kilmer is not like a good old wine; Fatty, heavy, clumsy and without any ability to show any emotion. He looks like a stoned junkie. Boring characters, boring storyline, no acting, predictable outcome.

Although this is low budget thriller with some little goofs, I found this movie extremely entertaining and surprising.

Val Kilmer might have become a slow and fat guy, but he is still a very charismatic and talented actor and is credible in his role as a hesitating and nervous doctor who becomes more and more determined to find the pieces of a mysterious and complicated puzzle even if he could have played his role with a little bit more emotions. The charming and beautiful Izabelle Miko does also a great job as a "femme fatale" and double-agent in troubles. Bulgaria is an interesting shooting place for this movie and presents us a little bit of a foreign culture and city.

Concerning the story line, this movie has several surprises and is sometimes difficult to follow with all its intrigues, conspiracies and double-agents. I think that the story is well elaborated and deserves us some surprises and twists. That's maybe why many people don't understand the goals of some organizations. But if you watch this movie with more attention again and do not concentrate on the question if the cars are more recent than 1992 when the story is settled (who really cares) or if several criminals speak in Russian (by the way, it is logical that especially the Russian criminals tried to get a better life elsewhere after the downfall of communism and the creation of many "new" countries), you might understand more and more all the details and connections in this well done agent movie.

This movie is surely nothing innovating or extremely suspenseful, but good entertainment and a twisted and surprising movie with two interesting main actors.

Oh my gosh. Val Kilmer, what are you doing in such a grade B movie? The plot was so unreal, it was stupid at times. The acting was just as bad. The actions of the dumb doctor here (played by Kilmer) were so out of the ordinary of a regular person, they were almost laughable. Of course, the really bad cartel guys were so bad, it made for a 2nd plot line.

The only redeeming factor was to see the pretty Isabella Miko play the agent. What a beauty.

This film opened in Thailand. So, you get the idea.

A waste of talent, film, and time. Just horrible!

This is a entertaining movie well worth the time (Tubitv). Well thought out, and filmed by professionals. The story is a unique one so take the time. Also could have been Val Kilmers last film before he got sick, not sure, gained some weight but still a very good actor here.

The cherry on top of this cake is Isabella Miko. Isabella at the height of her looks.... I mean she is Hotttttttt in this film. If you are a male who loves to watch extremely good looking women, watch this or hand in your man card

This movie is full of complex plot twists, which can be rather difficult to follow and keeps you guessing till the end. Honestly, if it hadn't been for a few inexplicable jumps in the plot line, I'd have rated it higher. To explain more, would make this a spoiler, but suffice it to say, the "good guys" are scarce in this movie and just when you think you've guessed who's good and who's not, you'll probably find you're wrong.

The plot is silly, one hurried kiss and the two main characters have fallen so deeply in love they will risk their lives for each other.

The acting is OK, Kilmer plays an over-weight doctor well, you can really believe he is struggling gamely to run and out of breath! The rest of the cast are OK.

The story is a mess, none of it makes sense.

The dialogue is poor.

The ending is almost comical it is so ridiculous.

This isn't a good film but if you can switch your brain off you can watch it.

Val Kilmer was once one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Great movies instantly come to mind such as Top Gun (1986), Willow (1989), The Doors (1991), True Romance (1993), Tombstone (1993), Batman Forever (1995), Heat (1995), The Ghost and The Darkness (1996), The Saint (1997), and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005). Unfortunately Val Kilmer's career has been marred by numerous flops and a reputation as one of the most difficult actors to work with. Nowadays Val Kilmer is keeping his career alive in direct-to-video movies and he is now a shadow of his former self. I thought Kiss Kiss Bang Bang would have resurrected his failing career although it did start to breathe new life in Robert Downey Jr's career before Iron Man (2008) catapulted him back into the big time.

Val Kilmer plays Dr Nicholas Pinter, an American doctor working for Doctors Beyond Borders during war torn Bulgaria in 1992. Dr Pinter helps a mysterious woman named Katrine played by Izabella Miko escape from a would-be assailant following a close brush with death following a case of mistaken identity where Dr Pinter is believed to be a spy.

It's a case of "been there done that" with Double Identity which has been done before with the Alfred Hitchcock classic North by Northwest (1959), however the end result is nothing short of pathetic, boring and uninspiring. I felt like everyone was sleepwalking through this thriller. Val Kilmer has packed on the kilos here and all of the charm and sex appeal he had in the prime of his career has been lost.

Apart from the fact this movie was really bad, it's a shame to see a quality actor like Val Kilmer waste his career away in rubbish such as this. Unless something promising comes up for Val Kilmer, it looks like his career is going to be stuck in the wilderness for a long, long time.

1/10

A thriller in the modern Val Kilmer manner, so inflated and boring. A must for everyone who is immortal and therefore has an infinite amount of time in life.

It's kind of tiering watching this kind of movies. Bad guys with big "soviet" accents and then a then the heroic pretty girl. Seams a bad version of a Mission Impossible movie. The difference is that at least Tom Cruise makes thing less boring.

Double Identity is being aired almost daily now on Showtime. I give it ten stars (a first here?! No matter) for two things I found rang true.

First, the mood (1992) is pretty authentic. I was working a lot at that time as UN staff in Sofia and Prague and Warsaw and Budapest and Berlin. This was just about the time the Berlin Wall came down and there was this strong feeling of underlying chaos and not really any strong sense of a central government. Many things were fluid and up for grabs. Certainly there were some crooks, but they didn't need to be of the gun-toting variety, look at how some of the oil oligarchs made it big in Russia, they merely had to game the system.

It was hard to even phone out of the Hiltons at the time (hotels just like that one existed in every capital, in part to suck in people with dollars) and the phone networks absolutely sucked. I would have given a lot for a cell phone! But the roads were indeed often cobbled and the newer buildings often very ugly and street lighting was spasmodic and in some of the countries the gasoline fumes from the cars smelled like cabbage water. I did always like the food. Their tomatoes and fruit were something to die for.

I miss those times because there was a lot of idealism pushing its way through (much of it from out of the universities as in Prague) and appreciated the courage and earnestness and hard work of many good people many of whom had been averaging maybe $100 a month in a high level profession. Someone in the forum here said none of the script should have been in Russian but Russian was the lingua franca for all those countries and Bulgarians used it with great ease and Bulgaria (which got a good deal out of Comecon) never hated the Russians as much as say the Poles and Hungarians.

Second, I though the Miko character was pretty authentic. I don't recall a lot of blonds in Sofia but in Warsaw there were and are hundreds if not thousands of blonds not too unlike her. In St Petersburg and Moscow too. They typically have a great deal of confidence and that icy lack of fear and no problems in asserting themselves. A few were high class call girls (openly sitting in every hotel) but many were in the public institutions like schools and hospitals and laboratories and hotel management, teaching and organizing and researching.

I liked how Miko spoke and carried herself, and her suits and her blond hair, especially when she had it up. Very good eye contact and control. She came across as about age 30 and I liked her in-command and decisive persona a little more in this movie than her personas in some of the others I have just checked out where she plays younger and more dependent. Typically such women (unless they were call girls) were remote and watchful rather than available and the one really inauthentic moment in the movie for me was when she and the Kilmer character lunged at one another the second time they met, in the hotel.

Thanks to the makers of the film for getting these things really right, and thanks to Miko for an elegant portrayal. Her early ballet maybe helped her a lot in poise and control of her movement. If she can find other parts like this one, she should keep going for years. I hope she looks.

And to me Kilmer played his character just fine. As far as I could see he was meant to be a somewhat bumbling do-good doctor so that the real action figure played by Miko could keep fishing him out.

A disappointing film. I actually enjoyed Val Kilmer's the Saint (pacy action, use of gadgets) however corny it may have been, so I hoped for something similar with this, ie a couple of hours of light relief. Sadly this film is unremarkable, a 'me-too' 80's thriller that covers ground that already so familiar from previous Eastern European / spy / cold war movies. The authentic settings catch your interest at the start but there is nothing in the plot to hold this. The girl is beautiful but the men are all clichés. I considered walking out and going for a pizza, several times, but hope kept me in my seat, mistakenly. At the end I walked out muttering about 2 hours of my life wasted.