Identity is a 2003 American slasher film directed by James Mangold, written by Michael Cooney, and starring John Cusack, Ray Liotta, and Amanda Peet with Alfred Molina, Clea DuVall, and Rebecca De Mornay.

Inspired by Agatha Christie's 1939 whodunit And Then There Were None, the film follows ten strangers in an isolated hotel, who are temporarily cut off from the rest of the world and mysteriously killed off one by one.

Several events which take place in the hours before the characters' arrival are introduced at key moments in the film using reverse chronology structure and, in a parallel story, a murderer awaits a verdict at a crucial trial that will determine whether he will be executed for his crimes.

A convict named Malcolm Rivers awaits execution for a vicious mass murder that took place at an apartment building.

The group consists of an ex-cop, now limousine driver, Ed Dakota; Caroline Suzanne, a washed-up, irritable actress; Officer Rhodes, who is transporting convicted murderer Robert Maine; Paris Nevada, a sex worker; newlyweds Lou and Ginny Isiana; and the York family, George, Alice (who was severely injured when Ed accidentally hit her with his limo), and their nine-year-old son, Timmy.

His defense attorney argues that he is unaware of his crimes, which is in violation of existing Supreme Court rulings on capital punishment.

Paris wrestles him off, causing Larry to attempt to escape in his truck, but he accidentally crushes George against a dumpster as he tries to save Timmy from being run over.

Finally believing Rhodes to be the murderous personality, Ed goes after him and the two men end up shooting each other fatally, leaving only Paris still alive.

With the homicidal personality removed, Malcolm's execution is stayed and he is ordered to be placed in a mental institution under Dr. Malick's care.

Director James Mangold stated in an interview prior to the film's release that he was attracted to a claustrophobic thriller because "I don't see this as a genre that's tapped out at this point.

You can make it sound dead end but these remain some of the most cinematic films ever made, whether you're talking about Rear Window, The Others, Polanski's Knife in the Water, Dead Calm, Carpenter's The Thing, Alien, huge piles of great films that buck conventional wisdom that a movie should be cinematically broad like a Lawrence of Arabia.

"[2] Actor John Cusack was pursued for the lead because Mangold and producer Cathy Konrad both felt like he was perfect for the role.

"[4] During an appearance on CBS's The Early Show, Cusack summarized his thoughts by saying "It was one of the most clever scripts I've read in a long time.

Mangold used production designer Mark Friedberg to transform the sound stage into a complex set with endless rain, featuring a motel with a swimming pool, 14 rooms, and surrounding desert.

[15] Roger Ebert gave the film three stars out of four and wrote, "I've seen a lot of movies that are intriguing for the first two acts and then go on autopilot with a formula ending.

"[16] Mick LaSalle of SFGate reported, "At first, Identity seems like nothing more than a pleasing and blatant homage (i.e., rip-off) to the Agatha Christie-style thriller where marooned guests realize that a murderer is in their midst... we've seen it before.

"[18] Brian Mckay of eFilmCritic.com wrote, "This film's cardinal sin was not that it had an engrossing but extremely far-fetched setup to a lackluster resolution—a resolution that probably sounded good during the initial script pitch, but which nobody realized was going to be such a misfire until the production was already at the point of no return.

And the freedom of the concept meant that you could exist in a more dreamy, fever-dream space with the film, which was very freeing to me, to be this kind of noir And Then There Were None amped up to eleven on the volume knob.