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Memory Movie Review: Liam Neeson's Action Thriller Disappoints
Memory ironically has some of the most forgettable characters and scenes. It is best skipped this weekend.
Available
In
Theatres
Language:
English
Duration:
114
Minutes
Plot: Memory starring Liam Neeson follows an expert assassin who refuses to complete a job for a criminal organisation and ends up becoming a target. He then works with FBI agents to bring justice to the victims.
Review: Memory attempts at an emotional drama starring an expert assassin, however, it fails to make the audience feel sympathetic towards any characters in the film. The ambitious storyline focuses on trying to redeem an evil assassin character who sacrifices himself for someone else. But the characters in the film are too forgettable including Alex who has Alzheimer's.
Liam Neeson has played many versions of the ageing agent, he has now reached a point where the character wants to retire. But his handler tells him that, in their type of job nobody retires, people just end up on their death bed. The same cannot be said for actors, fans have loved Liam's action thrillers however, in recent times, the character has been recreated so many times that its become too predictable. Even with a twist where the assassin fights for its victim is not unique enough. When the storyline fails, the weight to impress the audience is left with the actors and the direction.
Liam is great as an actor, he has proved it time and again. Memory sees him as Alex Lewis, an expert hired killer who is considering leaving his life behind after seeing signs of Alzheimer's that has already claimed his brother. He accepts one last job in El Paso, in which he has to finish two separate hits and recover some flash drives from the first victim.
Alex pulls off the first hit easily but when he discovers that the second victim is a 12-year-old girl (Mia Sanchez), he refuses to pull the trigger and keeps the flash drives for himself as an insurance policy. However, he wakes up to the news telecast of the girl's death. The first twist in the film comes when he questions if he had returned to finish the hit and forgot about it due to his Alzheimer's. With the FBI on his tail, he wonders if he is being framed for it. However, the makers abandon both twists and immediately force a third twist in which he is being targetted for reluctance of finishing the job and knowing too much.
The rest of the narrative goes as one expects, however, with more thrill, little time is given to Liam's character to introspect and live through his past deeds. It would have been interesting to see an assassin dealing with deteriorating cognitive abilities, however, all we get is some pill-popping and falling asleep in a car with a bloody bullet wound. We also get a glimpse of his awful childhood but by then, it's too late. The makers continue to try till the last moments as the villain gets a rather gruesome death as a karmic payoff.
Overall, Memory ironically has some of the most forgettable characters and scenes. It is best skipped this weekend.
