Unforgettable

Directed by John Dahl, Unforgettable follows Ray Liotta’s David Krane as he attempts to solve his wife’s murder by reliving her memories via her spinal fluid – with the narrative detailing David’s growing obsession with using this cutting-edge technology to close the case. It’s an agreeably larger-than-life premise that is, at the outset, employed to promising (and compelling) effect by Dahl, as the filmmaker, armed with Bill Geddie’s screenplay, delivers a propulsive thriller that benefits from its moody, noir-like sensibilities and a stellar lead performance by Liotta – with, in terms of the latter, Liotta offering up a predictably intense turn that heightens the watchable atmosphere on a recurring basis. (And while Linda Fiorentino is a little miscast as a mousy scientist, Unforgettable boasts a stellar supporting cast comprised of noted scene-stealers like David Paymer, Christopher McDonald, and Peter Coyote). There’s little doubt, then, that Unforgettable slowly-but-surely loses its way as it progresses into a padded-out and hopelessly convoluted second half, which, when coupled with an egregiously over-the-top (and thoroughly ineffective) finale, ensures that the whole thing peters out to a fairly demonstrable (and regrettable) degree – with the end result a decent-enough thriller that feels like it could (and should) be better.

**1/2 out of ****