Review: Generic 'Memory' Poorly Constructed and Unexceptional

There was a time when Liam Neeson didn't have to hold a gun in a movie. A time when he could deliver lines in a manner other than "growling." But then 2008's "Taken" happened, and Neeson's career took something of a shift.

Now he traipses through too many revenge actioners to count, with generic scripts that may as well have been made by using find-and-replace on the main character's name (although Neeson still finds a way to play a lot of "Mikes"). "Memory" is yet another of this ilk, and is as lazy and poorly constructed as we've come to expect.

A remake of the 2003 Belgian film "The Memory of a Killer," based on the novel "De zaak Alzheimer," "Memory" tells the story of hitman Alex Lewis. With years of experience, Alex is one of the best at what he does, but when a client tells him to take down a child, Alex is pushed to his breaking point. Refusing to cross that line, he turns his ire to those that hired him. But those years of experience have taken their toll on him, and with his world thrown into disarray, Alex is having trouble keeping the things in his mind straight.

It'd be easy to file "Memory" away with the rest of Neeson's post-"Taken" career. It has the same story beats, a calculating and calm man with a "very particular set of skills" who cannot abide the harm of children, and plenty of opportunities for Neeson to growl menacingly. But "Memory" feels different, more pedigreed. The cast list has some heavy hitters – Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, and Ray Stevenson, all carrying at least some degree of respect and renown. On top of that, it is directed by Martin Campbell, who, sure, directed "Green Lantern," but also "GoldenEye" and "Casino Royale." And yet, "Memory" never figures out how to work, as lost as its Alzheimer's-suffering main character.

"Memory" often falls prey to the problems of having its many action set pieces anchored by a man who is nearly 70. Any set piece involving physicality from Neeson is edited to its comprehensible limit. I have come to call this the "Liam Neeson Special," wherein no less than half a dozen cuts are necessary for something as simple as hopping a fence. And while the audience can see how difficult it is for the cast to get through these dramatic moments, the film itself seems unwilling to fess up to these limitations. Instead, it insists that Alex Lewis is still in the prime of his life-taking abilities, no matter how much on-screen evidence suggests otherwise.

There is surely a world where "Memory" works, but Campbell is either not up to the task or too tired to do anything special. It all looks so unexceptional, without an ounce of style. Similarly tired are those actors that I previously praised for their historical record. You can nearly see Monica Bellucci trying to figure out how best to spend the paycheck she's picking up for this. She delivers her lines with the enthusiasm of someone being asked by Netflix if they "are still watching". Guy Pearce is trying, but his character is barely a fragment of a person. Exacerbating all of these problems is a supporting cast that has a large number of Brits struggling to string together a convincing American accent. Taj Atwal in particular stands out as being a detriment to any scene wherein she speaks, suggesting that more of the budget should have been spent on dialect coaches.

By the time "Memory" finally limps towards a conclusion it has decided that it desires to say something more weighty. While I respect its aspiration, it never does the legwork necessary to make this turn feel any degree of earned or satisfying. It touts a message that has been done with more subtlety, nuance, and talent ("Sicario" stands out as a specific example) and it leaves the ending feeling hollow and tacked-on. "Memory" would so like to be considered among the prestigious action thrillers with a message, entertaining with meaning, but it never manages to figure out a reasonable or convincing way to deliver. Instead, it is just another in a long string of Neeson revenge movies that do little more than make you wish he could just play his age.

"Memory" opens in theaters on April 29.