MEMORY (2022, USA, 114m, 15) ***
Action, Thriller
dist. Open Road Films / Briarcliff Entertainment (USA); pr co. Black Bear Pictures / Arthur Sarkissian Productions / Welle Entertainment; d. Martin Campbell; w. Dario Scardapane (based on the book “De zaak Alzheimer” by Jef Geeraerts and the film by Carl Joos and Erik Van Looy); pr. Moshe Diamant, Michael Heimler, Rupert Maconick, Arthur Sarkissian, Cathy Schulman; ph. David Tattersall (Colour | 2.39:1); m. Photek; ed. Jo Francis; pd. Kes Bonnet, Wolf Kroeger.
cast: Liam Neeson (Alex Lewis), Monica Bellucci (Davana Sealman), Guy Pearce (Vincent Serra), Ray Stevenson (Detective Danny Mora), Taj Atwal (Linda Amistead), Louis Mandylor (Drunk broker), Stella Stocker (Maya), Antonio Jaramillo (Papa Leon), Ray Fearon (Gerald Nussbaum), Natalie Anderson (Maryanne Borden), Rebecca Calder (Wendy Van Camp), Lee Boardman (Mauricio), Harold Torres (Hugo Marquez), Mia Sanchez (Beatriz Leon), Kate Nichols (Davana Sealman’s Assistant), Sigal Diamant (Serena), Scot Williams (Ellis Van Camp), Atanas Srebrev (Dr. Joseph Myers), Daniel De Bourg (Willam Bor-den), Josh Taylor (Randy Sealman).
This well-directed action thriller offers little that is new but manages to add a layer of vulnerability to Neeson’s tough-guy persona. Alex Lewis (Neeson) is a hired assassin at a turning point. Living in El Paso, Texas, and coming to grips with a faltering memory just as he plans to retire, Alex is ready to conclude a long career of violence and secrecy when an old contact gives him a final assignment. However, the job isn’t what Alex bargained for, and it leads him into an FBI sting operation conducted by agent Vincent Serra (Pearce). When Alex finds a trail of abuse leading from a child prostitution ring south of the border to a wealth influential El Paso real estate magnate (Bellucci) and her son (Taylor), Alex secretly guides Serra’s FBI team in the right direction. Though his inability to remember details is putting him in ever greater danger, Alex uses the skills he’s honed from a lifetime in the shadows to force ugliness into the light–but he must do it before powerful forces destroy Alex and erase Serra’s mission to get at the truth. A strong cast help to elevate familiar situations and set pieces and an ageing Neeson is as watchable as ever. Campbell, who has two Bond films on his resume, is adept with both action and actors.
