Memory (2022)

[Winston T. Boogie]

Title: Memory (2022)

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Action, Crime

Director: Martin Campbell

Cast: Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce, Taj Atwal, Harold Torres, Monica Bellucci, Ray Stevenson, Stella Stocker, Antonio Jaramillo, Louis Mandylor, Ray Fearon, Lee Boardman, Rebecca Calder, Natalie Anderson, Harold Torres, Atanas Srebrev, Scot Williams, Kate Nichols, Trevor Van Uden, Sigal Diamant, Doug Rao, Daniel De Bourg, Mia Sanchez, Petar Kirilov, J.R. Esposito, Kalina Stancheva

Release: 2022-04-29

Plot: Alex, an assassin-for-hire, finds that he's become a target after he refuses to complete a job for a dangerous criminal organization. With the crime syndicate and FBI in hot pursuit, Alex has the skills to stay ahead, except for one thing: he is struggling with severe memory loss, affecting his every move. Alex must question his every action and whom he can ultimately trust.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

Liam Neeson still has a certain set of skills and is still showing them off.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

For what it is worth, Campbell is a better director and this film has a better cast than most Neeson action films have had.

You gotta admit though, Neeson seems pretty pigeonholed as an actor since Taken.

 

[TravisR]

You gotta admit though, Neeson seems pretty pigeonholed as an actor since Taken.

I'm impressed that he does like 11 movies a year that all look the same and they still get a wide theatrical release.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I'm impressed that he does like 11 movies a year that all look the same and they still get a wide theatrical release.

He's a good actor and it would be nice to see him in other types of films. I guess between the fact that he seems to get offered every action/thriller that comes down the pike and he got in trouble for making comments about killing a guy that raped a friend of his, means this is his primary area of employment. Sad, but it is what it is. In the trailers for these films he seems to be giving the same line readings over and over as if they are all the same character in one long picture. I think I may sense some boredom in his performance here.

That said, due to the talent involved, I am going to watch this film. Maybe not in a theater but I will check it out at home.

 

[TravisR]

He's a good actor and it would be nice to see him in other types of films.

It's funny to see Neeson and Nicolas Cage go from winning the Oscar for excellent dramatic performances and then becoming action movie stars. Usually it's the other way around.

And to be fair, Neeson is always good in these movies, they're usually entertaining, and he's probably making a mountain of money for them so I guess why not keep making them?

 

[SamT]

Liam Neeson has not fallen like Nic Cage or Bruce Willis. He still gets solid movies with relatively high productions. Solid compared to what Bruce Willis gets.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Liam Neeson has not fallen like Nic Cage or Bruce Willis. He still gets solid movies with relatively high productions. Solid compared to what Bruce Willis gets.

I agree, I find Cage and Willis unwatchable now, but Neeson's films are solid if formulaic. I liked Cold Pursuit and will watch this new one at home.

 

[Malcolm R]

They're always entertaining. I haven't regretted a Neeson film yet.

 

[SamT]

I liked his other cold movie, The Ice Road (2021). I liked it very much. Solid solid movie for me.

And he doesn't just make action movies. Made in Italy (2020) was also good.

 

[Malcolm R]

He is playing Philip Marlowe in Neil Jordan's upcoming film, Marlowe. That will be a change of pace, more mystery than action probably.

 

[benbess]

My A-list movie today was the Liam Neeson movie Memory, which is directed by Martin Campbell (Goldeneye, Vertical Limit, Casino Royale). For me this was an effective crime drama, with cinematography and direction that made it into a good contemporary film noir. This gritty and violent movie earned an "A-" for me, making it one of my top movies of 2022 so far. Reviews have been mixed to negative, which is surprising to me. I wonder if the high number of films Neeson has been making for the last ten years is making the reviewers jaded? The cinematography is by David Tattersall, who was the DP on The Green Mile as well as the whole Star Wars prequel trilogy.

 

[Keith Cobby]

He is playing Philip Marlowe in Neil Jordan's upcoming film, Marlowe. That will be a change of pace, more mystery than action probably.

Thanks for the heads-up, I can see Neeson playing Marlowe. Jordan has put a good cast together.

 

[Keith Cobby]

Watched Memory last night and enjoyed it for what it is, good cast. Not sure I would watch it again, unlike Cold Pursuit which I have on 4k disc. Memory is being released in Europe on 4k.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

"Cold Pursuit" is a good movie - maybe the only actual good thriller LN's done in years.

"Memory" was a mess. Too many competing plots that barely came together, and it didn't take advantage of the "faltering memory" twist as well as it should.

I'm happy LN has enjoyed a late career resurgence and miraculously avoided being stuck in Direct to Video Limbo, but man, he just makes the same movie over and over - and most aren't good.

But "Pursuit" was pretty strong at least!

 

[SamT]

I have no memory what this was exactly. And I have seen it under a month with another new Liam Neeson movie. My memory says one was better than the other. I hope this was a good guide for anyone who can see only one of them.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

IF you believe in Rotten Tomatoes results, Ordinary Love (2019) *should* be at least pretty good drama w/ Neeson in a leading role. He's also been in supporting roles for a couple other good movies different from his usual over the last 1/2 decade or so, ie. Silence (2016) and Widows (2018), plus voicing for a couple others -- well, maybe Widows wasn't quite that different (for him anyway) plus his was just a small supporting role.

Anyway, the upcoming Marlowe looks like it could be interesting enough -- I haven't bothered w/ any of his Taken sequels and derivations over the past decade or so. That, and I might check out Cold Pursuit (2019) plus Ordinary Love (2019) at some point -- hadn't heard of the latter at all before... though that's not surprising at all.

_Man_

 

[SamT]

Ok I dug deep. I have seen Memory (7/10) and Blacklight (4/10). I thought this Memory one was the much better one. Blacklight was baaad!