Susan Granger’s review of “Memory” (Open Road/Briarcliff Entertainment)
Set to turn 70 in June, Irish/American actor Liam Neeson has become known in recent years for his growling, tough-guy roles. But in this action/thriller, he plays Alex Lewis, a professional assassin suffering from the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s/dementia.
Beginning in Guadalajara, Mexico, Lewis adroitly dispatches a cartel target. Bravely battling his increasing cognitive impairment by scribbling notes-to-himself on his inner forearm, Lewis’s next job focuses on a flourishing child trafficking operation in El Paso, Texas.
But then Lewis realizes that his target is supposed to be an orphaned 13 year-old named Beatriz (Mia Sanchez) who was forced into sex work. That pushes every morality button in his body, and Lewis adamantly refuses to kill a child. Predictably, that decision does not sit well with his Mexico City contact Mauricio (Lee Boardman) and his ‘handler’ (Daniel De Bourg).
Complicating matters is the ineptitude and inherent corruption within the F.B.I.’s Child Exploitation Task Force which has attracted the attention of aging Agent Vincent Serra (Guy Pearce), along with his co-workers (Taj Atwai, Harold Torres).
Plus there’s the intricate involvement of a powerful real estate tycoon (Monica Belluci).
Based on the 2005 Belgian film “The Memory of Killer,” it’s superficially adapted by Dario Scardapane and formulaically directed by Martin Campbell, who never elevates the predictable production to big-screen standards. Instead, it plays like one of those weekly TV police procedurals.
While Neeson is still fit enough to participate in the carefully choreographed fight sequences, he readily admits he leaves the stunts to the stuntmen. And actor Guy Pearce’s presence was obviously predicated by his memory-afflicted role in the far-better revenge thriller “Memento.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Memory” is a forgettable 5 – in theaters.
