Memory

2022 Open Road Films

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 54min

Action ~ Crime ~ Thriller

Starring: Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Harold Torres, Taj Atwal and Ray Fearon.

“His mind is fading. His conscience is clear.”

Liam Neeson as Alex Lewis, a hired hitman living in Mexico. He takes on an assignment for a double hit that will take him to El Paso, Texas. His brother has severe Alzheimer’s disease and lives in a nursing home there. Alex leaves for El Paso and stops off to see his brother before embarking on his two contract assignments. His brother is vacant minded and doesn’t acknowledge Alex’s presence. Alex talks to him anyway and presses an old quarter from 1969 into his hand. “Remember that year?, That was a good year.” Alex kisses him on the forehead and leaves for his two assignments.

The first is Ellis Van Camp, the manager of the central processing facility for immigrants in El Paso. Alex waits for him to be alone in his house before entering and forcing Ellis to open his home safe. Alex retrieves the flash drive from Ellis before shooting him and leaves. Alex’s next hit is a young female Mexican immigrant named Beatriz. She was taken from Ellis’s processing facility and placed in a foster home by the police officer that killed her pimp, Papa Leon. Upon entering in the night and seeing that she is a young girl, Alex leaves without killing her, drawing the line at “taking out” children.

He informs his client they need to “Cancel the contract” , but they won’t have it and put out a contract on Alex. So there are three stories going on here, and I’ll try not to give out any spoilers…….

There is the story of Alex dealing with the fast onset of Alzheimer’s Disease and losing his memory just like his brother. And his refusal to kill the girl and his desire to kill those who hired him to kill the girl. Also his desire to kill those who exploited the young girls in the prostitution ring as he watches what’s on the flash drive.
There is the story of the two El Paso police officers tracking the child prostitution ring where Beatriz came from and that Alex is also pursuing.
There is the story of the Police Officer assigned to the case in New Mexico, out of his jurisdiction, who is actually a vigilante seeking justice for the victims of the child prostitution ring who were mostly young girls abducted from Mexico.

It is a little difficult to follow in the beginning, as you watch different scenes unfold that seemingly have no common thread. As you watch remember they are all headed for the same child prostitution ring, they just don’t know it yet. And as the movie progresses their paths all cross. As Alex’s Alzheimer progresses he is forgetting things and having to write them on his forearm. And he is taking medication that has kept it at bay until now, but the pills are no longer being effective as the disease is very aggressive.

It is not one of Liam Neeson’s best but it isn’t his worst either. It was just alright. The storyline was pretty hard to follow, I didn’t put it all together until late in the movie. The action scenes weren’t that good, nor the plot. And some of the acting by the other actors wasn’t top notch. It felt pretty discombobulated as you jump from scene to scene not knowing what they have in common.

So yes, it’s worth a watch (maybe) but it is definitely a “One-off”. I wouldn’t watch it again.

One thumb up, the other down.