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Memory (2022 film)
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Wikipedia article
'Memory' is a 2022 American action thriller film directed by Martin Campbell from a screenplay by Dario Scardapane. It is based on the novel 'De Zaak Alzheimer' by Jef Geeraerts and is a remake of the novel's previous adaptation, the Belgian film 'The Alzheimer Case'. The film stars Liam Neeson as an aging hitman with early dementia who must go on the run after declining a contract on a young girl; Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Harold Torres, Taj Atwal and Ray Fearon also star.
'Memory' was theatrically released in the United States on April 29, 2022 by Open Road Films, and received mostly negative reviews from critics.
Plot
Alex Lewis is a contract killer living in Mexico who suffers from early onset Alzheimer's and works for Davana Sealman. He is assigned to kill a man in El Paso, Texas, named Ellis Van Camp (a builder for the Texas Central Processing Facility). Alex's brother turns out to be a resident at a nursing home in El Paso due to his severe Alzheimer's disease. Meanwhile, Special Agent Vincent Serra (of the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force) goes undercover to bring down an El Paso sex trafficker "Papa Leon," who trafficked his daughter, Beatriz, 13. Vincent ends up killing Papa Leon after the latter takes Beatriz hostage.
Beatriz is later taken to the facility due to being undocumented but Child Protective Services takes her after she is granted a protection visa. Meanwhile, Alex kills Ellis and steals flash drives from his safe containing footage of Davana's son, Randy, sexually assaulting Beatriz, something that shocks him. Alex is later assigned to kill Beatriz but refuses due to children being off limits to him and tracks down Davana's lawyer William Borden, whom he threatens. Instead, Beatriz is killed by another hitman, Mauricio, which infuriates Alex and makes him seek revenge on Davana.
After Alex sleeps with a woman he meets at a bar after helping her when a drunk man comes on to her, the woman is shot dead by Mauricio, who also attempts to kill Alex. Alex and Mauricio then get into a shootout that ends with Alex gaining the upper hand. He eventually burns the bodies of both Mauricio and the woman after placing them inside Mauricio's car. Later, Alex also shoots William dead, which ultimately causes Davana's son, Randy, to panic after realizing that whoever killed Ellis and William will likely come for him. Meanwhile, Vincent begins piecing together information and he, along with Det. Marquez and Special Agent Linda, uncover that William was the lawyer for Randy Sealman (who owns the facility) and that Ellis was the builder for the facility, who was shot with the same exact slug. The three realize that anyone with connections to the facility ends up dead and that Randy is likely next.
After Randy hosts a party on a yacht, the FBI arrive to make sure he doesn't die. Alex manages to kill Randy after hiding out on the yacht before the party begins. After he makes a run for it, he is cornered by Vincent and Marquez but escapes despite Marquez inflicting a gunshot wound on him. Alex later recuperates inside his hideout (a former bakery once owned by his late father surrounded by pigeons) and stops the bleeding. Alex's Alzheimer symptoms eventually begin worsening, but he makes his way to Davana's penthouse to kill her. He instead shoots several police officers before being knocked out by Det. Danny Mora. Meanwhile, Davana hires another man to kill Alex as retribution for the death of Randy.
After Alex is hospitalized, Vincent and Linda retrieve the flash drives from his hideout. They see Alex in the hospital, and his ability to speak is hindered, but he informs Vincent that he has evidence of Davana threatening Ellis, which should be enough to put her on trial, but says he cannot remember where he placed the recording. After the assassin hired to kill Alex comes for him, Alex instead takes him hostage. Snipers later surround the hospital as Alex walks out holding the man hired to kill him as a hostage, the snipers mistakenly kill the hostage. Alex gets inside Vincent's car and says Davana wishes to "bery" him before stepping out and being shot dead. Vincent later realizes that Alex gave him a clue with the word "bery," he retrieves the recording of Davana threatening Ellis but is instead told by the district attorney that it is not enough to prosecute. Instead, Marquez kills Davana by slitting her throat (while masked), and Vincent and Linda watch the news report at a bar. Vincent realizes that Linda took him to the bar to give him an alibi.
Cast
* Liam Neeson as Alex Lewis
* Guy Pearce as Vincent Serra
* Monica Bellucci as Davana Sealman
* Harold Torres as Hugo Marquez
* Taj Atwal as Linda Amistead
* Ray Fearon as Gerald Nussbaum
* Daniel de Bourg as William Borden
* Josh Taylor as Randy Sealman
* Ray Stevenson as Detective Danny Mora
* Lee Boardman as Mauricio
* Louis Mandylor as Drunk broker
* Stella Stocker as Maya
* Natalie Anderson as Maryanne Borden
* Atanas Srebrev as Dr. Joseph Myers
Production
In February 2020, it was announced that Liam Neeson will play an expert assassin with a reputation for discreet precision in 'Memory', an action thriller film directed by Martin Campbell. In April 2021, principal photography commenced in Bulgaria with Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Harold Torres, Taj Atwal, and Ray Fearon joining the cast. The project is a joint-venture production between Briarcliff Entertainment, Open Road Films, Black Bear Pictures, Welle Entertainment, Saville Productions, and Arthur Sarkissian Productions. Rupert Parkes, who previously worked with Campbell on 'The Protege', composed the film's score.
Release
'Memory' was released in the United States by Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment on April 29, 2022.
Reception
Box office
'Memory' grossed $7.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $6.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $13.5 million.In the United States and Canada, the film was projected to gross between $25 million from 2,555 theaters in its opening weekend. The film made $1.1 million on its first day and went on to debut to $3.1 million, finishing eighth at the box office. Men made up 51% of the audience during its opening, with those above the age of 25 comprising 84% of ticket sales and those above 45 comprising 46%. The ethnic breakdown of the audience showed that 49% were Caucasian, 20% Hispanic and Latino Americans, 20% African American, and 11% Asian or other. The film earned $1.4 million in its second weekend before dropping out of the box office top ten in its third with $450,038.
Critical response
Audiences polled by PostTrak gave it a 66% positive score, with 49% saying they would definitely recommend it.References
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