- Stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they're being killed off one by one.
- Malcolm Rivers has been convicted as the perpetrator of several murders and is sentenced to death. An 11th-hour defense by his lawyers and psychiatrist that Malcolm is insane based on new evidence has resulted in them meeting with the prosecutors and the judge to discuss whether the verdict should be overturned. Meanwhile, on a dark night during a torrential rainstorm in the Nevada desert, a series of chain-reaction events results in several people needing to stay at an out-of-the-way motel managed by Larry. They are: ex-cop, now limo driver Ed and his client Caroline, a diva of a once-famous actress; quiet adolescent Timmy, his stepfather George, and his mother Alice, who was seriously injured when Ed accidentally ran over her as she watched George change their flat tire; prostitute Paris, who was the unwitting cause of George's flat tire; newlyweds Lou and Ginny, whose marriage is based on a lie; and Police Officer Rhodes, who was en route escorting prisoner Robert to his new institution. None can leave because of washed-out roads, all the other businesses around the motel are closed because of the storm, and all communication in and out is not functioning also because of the storm. One by one, they are murdered, the murderer leaving a calling card of a motel room key, starting with the room 10 key and working his way presumably to the room 1 key when the last person will be dead. Those still alive band somewhat together under Officer Rhodes and Ed's direction to find out which of the 11 is the murderer, and if, based on one of their theories, that they were brought to the motel by some force by the murderer as his intended targets. Whether those still alive can discover who the murderer is, discover why he has chosen to kill them, and be able to subdue him may well determine Malcolm's fate.—Huggo
- 10 strangers are brought together during a weather emergency, only to discover a far greater danger awaits them in this suspense-drama. A sudden rainstorm in a remote desert town strands a disparate variety of people at a rundown motel. A convict sentenced to death, Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince), is stuck in transit with his lawyer (Alfred Molina). Ginny and Lou (Clea DuVall and William Lee Scott) are a not-especially-happy pair of young marrieds on their honeymoon. Ed (John Cusack) is a bright and resourceful chauffeur working for actress Caroline Suzanne (Rebecca De Mornay). George York (John C. McGinley) is a concerned husband trying to find help for his wife (Leila Kenzle, who was struck by Caroline's limo. Paris (Amanda Peet) is a prostitute who wants a better life. And Rhodes (Ray Liotta) is a police detective who has in his custody Robert Maine (Jake Busey), a dangerous and deranged criminal. As the rain pours down and motel manager Larry (John Hawkes) tries to care for his customers, one by one the unexpected guests begin losing their lives at the hands of a murderer. As the body count mounts, the stranded travelers struggle to find out who the killer is; however, they also learn each of them has a secret, and that their arrival at the motel wasn't a matter of mere chance.
- A storm breaks out in the Nevada desert and 10 people seek refuge in a motel. At the same time, a serial killer under the care of psychiatrist Doctor Mallick, who has just found the killer's journal, awaits execution for murdering a group of motel guests. When the travelers realize they are being killed off one by one, limo driver Ed Dakota vows to reveal the murderer's identity.
- Strangers from all different walks of life--a limo driver escorting a fading television star, parents of a young son whose marriage is in crisis, a cop transporting a dangerous convict, a beautiful call girl, a young newlywed couple, and a nervous motel manager--are caught in a severe rainstorm and stuck at a motel in desolate Nevada. Soon they realize they may be at the motel for another reason when, one by one, they start getting killed off. As tensions flare and fingers are pointed, they must get to the bottom of why they're there. Meanwhile in an undisclosed location, a psychiatrist is trying to prove the innocence of a man accused of murder in an 11th-hour trial. How these two plotlines are related can only be found in Identity.—mystic80
- Malcolm Rivers (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is a psychotic killer awaiting execution for several vicious murders. His psychiatrist, Doctor Malick (Alfred Molina), has discovered a journal belonging to Rivers that may explain why he really committed the murders. With this late evidence brought forth, a new hearing takes place on a stormy night in which Malick will try to persuade the Judge to spare Rivers.
Meanwhile, a group of ten strangers, through a number of circumstances, find themselves stranded in the middle of a storm in a remote motel in the Nevada desert. With the phone lines down due to the storm, the group prepare to spend the night, taking care of those that have been injured through their arrival. However, the group quickly finds that there is an unknown murderer present, killing off each of the guests and leaving behind one of the motel's room keys to be found, starting with Room 10's key and counting down.
Back at the hearing, the contents of Malcolm's journal are revealed, indicating the prisoner suffers from an extreme case of Dissociative Identity Disorder, harboring ten distinct personalities. Malick is able to bring forth one of Malcolm's personalities, Ed (John Cusack), revealing that events at the motel are occurring inside Malcolm's mind, each personality being a distinct person though all sharing the same birth date. After hearing of events in the motel, Malick informs the Ed personality that he must find and eliminate the hostile personality in order to prevent Malcolm from being executed lest all the personalities be killed off.
In the motel setting, as the group is dwindled down, Ed believes that the personality of Rhodes (Ray Liotta) is the murderer, and sacrifices himself to kill Rhodes, leaving only Paris (Amanda Peet) alive.
When Malick demonstrates that that homicidal personality is dead, the judge decides to place Malcolm in a mental institution under Malick's care.
As Malcolm is driven along with Malick to the institution, in Malcolm's mind, Paris has driven away from the motel to her hometown in Florida. As she tends an orange grove, she discovers the Room 1 motel key in the ground, and turns around to find the young boy Timmy standing behind her. Timmy, the true homicidal personality, had orchestrated all the deaths at the motel, and made it appear that he had been killed as well; he finishes his task by killing Paris, reciting Hughes Mearns's Antigonish.
Now driven only by his last personality of Timmy, Malcolm strangles Malick, and the transport van runs off the side of the road.
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