TL;DR – An interesting concept let down by sloppy execution.     

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this film

Memory Review –

As we gallop towards the end of the year, it is time to catch up with the films I had missed along the way. The first of these is Liam Neeson playing an assassin with early onset Alzheimer’s, and while that is a set-up that is at the very least intriguing.

So to set the scene, Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson) is a hitman for hire and has no compunction murdering a son while his mother sits in her hospital bed, unable to do anything but watch. The only issue is that he has early onset Alzheimer’s, a problem in his line of work where there is no such thing as retirement. This all comes to a head when Alex is tasked to take out Ellis Van Camp (Scot Williams) in El Paso, Texas. However, he didn’t know the next target was Beatriz Leon (Mia Sanchez), a young sex-trafficking victim, who should be off-limits. But you don’t say no to people like this.        

While not a lot goes well in this film, that is not to say everything was a complete loss. There were a couple of competent action scenes that thankfully don’t delve into the lows we saw with Taken 3. Liam does a good job of portraying someone slowly losing control over their own world. Also, we get a few moments of Monica Bellucci chewing the scenery.

Unfortunately, there are many ways this film missteps; the first is dialogue. Sometimes it feels like people are talking in the general direction of each other rather than having a conversation. Of course, that is when you can actually hear what they are saying, as it feels that every cast member was asked to mumble as much as possible. Though when you can hear it, you soon discover people are entirely disconnected from the realities of the situation they find themselves in. The most significant issue is that this film, much like Sicario: Day of the Soldado, has zero nuance, and because of that, it falls spectacularly on its face thematically.          

In the end, do we recommend Memory? Alas, no. While there may have been a good idea for a film here, the execution fails the story in almost every way. If you liked Memory, we would recommend to you Logan.       

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Have you watched Memory?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Memory
Directed by – Martin Campbell
Screenplay by – Dario Scardapane
Based on – De Zaak Alzheimer by Jef Geeraerts & De Zaak Alzheimer by Carl Joos & Erik Van Looy
Music by – Rupert Parkes
Cinematography by – David Tattersall
Edited by – Jo Francis
Production/Distribution Companies – Black Bear Pictures, Welle Entertainment, Saville Productions, Briarcliff Entertainment, Open Road Films, STXfilms & Amazon Prime
Starring – Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Harold Torres, Taj Atwal, Ray Fearon, Daniel de Bourg, Josh Taylor, Ray Stevenson, Mia Sanchez, Lee Boardman, Scot Williams, Rebecca Calder, Stella Stocker, Natalie Anderson, Atanas Srebrev, Antonio Jaramillo, Doug Rao, Josh Macrena, J.R. Esposito, Vlado Mihailov, Sofia Soltess, Tudor Chirila, Marina Krumova, Lubomir Buchvarov, Sigal Diament & Danay Velinova
Rating – Australia: MA15+; Canada: 14A; Germany: 16; New Zealand: na; United Kingdom: 18; United States: R