Memory is the latest Liam Neeson action thriller to be released, his second this year following Blacklight from a couple months back. This time around, he plays an aging assassin named Alex, who gets a job that does not line up with his personal code, so he decides to go after the people who sent him on his mission, and all while dealing with early onset Alzheimer’s. Also entangled in the story is FBI agent, Vincent Serra (Guy Pearce), who is investigating a sex trafficking scheme that is led by Davana Sealman (Monica Bellucci), who was the one who initiated the hit on a child that Alex ultimately refused to kill.
Written by Dario Scardapane, the film is actually a remake of a 2003 Belgian crime thriller, “De zaak Alzheimer,” which is itself based on the book of the same name by Jef Geeraerts. I haven’t seen the original film nor read the book, but the premise certainly has potential. What separates this from any other Liam Neeson action movie is the fact that it’s directed by Martin Campbell, who always brings his a-game even when dealing with c-grade material. Green Lantern aside, he killed it with The Foreigner and his previous film, The Protégé, was also a pretty good time.
There are moments in Memory that really work. The opening is strong, not only setting up the precision of Alex as a hitman and how he deals with his mental deterioration, but also adding a personal element to Agent Serra’s character in a sequence where he causes the death of a man who made his young daughter do sex work, and having to earn her trust and stopping a possible deportation. Of course, the world of this film proves to be rather harsh and unforgiving. One could easily picture this as a classic film noir with a few minor aesthetic changes.
When the film does get into the action, it’s not bad at all. It’s fast, brutal, and has impact. Stanimir Stamatov is credited as the main stunt coordinator, and he’s done quality work before; this is no different. There is some solid stunt and action choreography, fairly in line with the kind of stuff you’d expect from a Campbell film. Though the film is in large part driven by the drama and the characters more than it is driven by the action, which is where a lot of the issues start coming in.
Unfortunately, while the film starts strong, it starts to lose steam around the halfway point. It takes a while before the different character threads start intertwining, and the film struggles in balancing between Alex’s story and Agent Serra’s story. And when they do start finally sharing space together, the film somehow becomes more complicated as opposed to simplified. Most of the energy is gone, and the film’s patient, slow burn approach doesn’t quite help in keeping things as engaging as it could have been. Other characters get involved and you don’t quite get what part they play in everything, and the payoffs are usually either confusing or just underwhelming.
I wish I had more to say, but ironically, Memory is the kind of film one can easily forget not too long after seeing it. It just doesn’t leave much of an impression at all, which is a shame considering all the talent involved. Liam Neeson isn’t phoning it in here, at least compared to some of the other work he’s done in films like this recently. He genuinely digs into this character in a really interesting way. Martin Campbell knows how to get strong work with his actors, and that shows here. The cast do lend a weighty presence that does as much as it can to elevate the material. It just doesn’t come through once it’s all said and done. Perhaps another draft on the script could have helped, who knows. It’s not a terrible film, just a thoroughly mediocre and forgettable one, with moments that hit, but sadly don’t add up to anything truly captivating.
Memory is now out in theaters.