Memory

Directed by Martin Campbell, Memory follows aging assassin Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson) as he embarks on a campaign of violence after he’s tasked with murdering a young girl. It’s a seemingly foolproof premise that’s employed to increasingly underwhelming and lackluster effect by Campbell, as the movie suffers from an often astonishingly sluggish narrative that’s been riddled with confusing, convoluted elements – with the arms-length atmosphere compounded by David Tattersall’s shockingly low-rent visuals and an overall absence of compelling set-pieces. (There are a few impressively violent interludes sprinkled throughout, admittedly, but such moments are essentially rendered moot by the hopelessly uninvolving storyline.) The movie’s lack of forward momentum paves the way for a midsection and second half that grows less and less interesting as it progresses, and it’s clear, as well, that the strong work by Neeson and his costars, including Guy Pearce and Monica Bellucci, is unable to make the impact for which one might’ve hoped and anticipated. By the time the somewhat endless final stretch rolls around, Memory has cemented its place as a forgettable and completely disposable piece of work that could and should have been so much better.

*1/2 out of ****