Memory
A cool director and co-star elevate Liam Neeson's latest action offering.
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“Memory” (now in theaters) is the latest in a long line of Liam Neeson action-thrillers. You pretty much know what to expect out these things at this point, but I’ll be damned if “Memory” doesn’t manage to spring a few surprises.
Neeson stars as Alex Lewis, a hitman who’s beginning to suffer the effects of Alzheimer’s. He has to scrawl aliases, targets, hotel room numbers, etc. on his arm with a magic marker to help keep his shit straight.
Alex is the sort of cat who’ll garrote a scumbag in front of the creep’s aged, hospitalized mother who’s hooked up to a ventilator and watching horrified, but even he has his limits. When Alex’s handler Mauricio (Lee Boardman) wants him to off Beatriz Leon (Mia Sanchez), a 13-year-old girl who’s been pimped out by her father Papa Leon (Antonio Jaramillo of FX’s “Mayans M.C.”), that’s a bridge too far.
Maurcio is doing this at the behest of El Paso, Texas philanthropist Davana Sealman (Monica Bellucci, essentially playing Ghislaine Maxwell), who’s attempting to cover up the perverse sexual misdeeds of her son, the appropriately-named Randy (Josh Taylor, Netflix’s “The Crown”). Alex flat-out refuses the contract, absconds with incriminating evidence on the Sealmans and begins taking out anyone affiliated with the child sex trafficking ring.
As bodies begin piling up in El Paso, Alex draws the attention of FBI agents Vincent Serra (Guy Pearce) and Linda Amistead (Taj Atwal of last year’s “The Protégé”), Mexican intelligence officer Hugo Marquez (Harold Torres) and local cop Detective Danny Mora (one-time Punisher Ray Stevenson).
Things get wild from here on out – a dude gets blasted while running on a treadmill (See, working out doesn’t always pay off! Also, his horny widow as played by Natalie Anderson is a laugh and a half.), DTV staple Louis Mandylor (“The Debt Collector” and “Debt Collectors”) shows up as a drunk Alex roughs up in a hotel bar, there’s a rad silenced pistol shoot-out in a parking garage, a sex worker gets her neck blown out … and not in a fun way, Alex goes all ACAB with an AK on the El Paso Police Department, pigeon poop factors in prominently, there’s a gnarly (and deserved) throat slashing, Bulgaria stands in for El Paso and we’re supposed to buy Neeson as a native Texan.
As ridiculous as a lot of “Memory” sounds (and it is undeniably ridiculous), a couple of factors elevate the proceedings. The movie is directed by journeyman filmmaker Martin Campbell, who does a solid, workmanlike job with the material. In all honesty, Campbell’s just a better director than the likes of Mark Williams, who helmed recent Neeson efforts “Honest Thief” and “Blacklight.” The picture certainly doesn’t hit the heights of Campbell’s best works (“No Escape” (1994), “GoldenEye,” “Casino Royale” (2006)), but it’s head and shoulders above the likes of “Edge of Darkness” (2010) and “Green Lantern.” I also preferred “Memory” to Campbell’s last effort – 2021’s “The Protégé.” Having Pearce on hand as the foil to which Neeson’s Alex plays opposite of is certainly value added – his Serra is hugely sympathetic.
“Memory” is an adaptation of Belgian author Jef Geeraerts’ novel “De Zaak Alzheimer” and a remake of the 2003 Erik Van Looy film “The Memory of a Killer.” It’s the first produced feature screenplay from Dario Scardapane since the 1993 Mario Van Peebles black Western “Posse” (a dope movie if you haven’t seen it!). Scardapane went on to co-executive produce and write FX’s “The Bridge” and Netflix’s “The Punisher” – both of which are certainly echoed here.
Neeson gives the performance you’d expect him to give here. You’re either into watching him wreck wretches or you’re not. “Memory” was therapeutic in the moment, but will undoubtedly disappear from my consciousness within days.