Memory (2022 film)

Memory

Company type	Film
Industry	Motion picture
Founded	2022
Founder	Martin Campbell (director), Dario Scardapane (writer)
Products	Action thriller film
Parent	Briarcliff Entertainment, Open Road Films, Black Bear Pictures, Welle Entertainment, Saville Productions, Arthur Sarkissian Productions

Memory is a 2022 American action thriller film featuring Liam Neeson as a hitman grappling with early-stage dementia who goes on the run after refusing to carry out an assignment involving a young girl. Directed by Martin Campbell and penned by Dario Scardapane, the movie draws inspiration from the novel De Zaak Alzheimer by Jef Geeraerts and serves as a remake of the Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer. The ensemble cast also includes Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Harold Torres, Taj Atwal, and Ray Fearon.

Distributed by Open Road Films, Memory premiered in the United States on April 29, 2022. It grossed $14 million at the box office but was met with predominantly unfavorable reviews.

Plot

Alex Lewis, an assassin operating in Mexico who is affected by early-onset Alzheimer's disease, works under the employ of Davana Sealman. His initial assignment is to eliminate Ellis Van Camp, a developer involved with the Texas Central Processing Facility in El Paso, Texas—where Alex’s brother resides in a care facility. Upon learning that his second target is Beatriz, a young girl linked to an FBI investigation into sex trafficking led by Vincent Serra, Alex refuses to complete the hit. He confronts Davana’s attorney William Borden to demand cancellation of the contract, but Beatriz is ultimately killed by another assassin.

After a deadly confrontation that results in the death of Maya, a woman close to Alex, he kills Mauricio—the other hitman—and disposes of their bodies by burning them. While examining a flash drive stolen from Van Camp’s safe, Alex discovers footage showing Davana’s son Randy sexually abusing Beatriz. Following Borden’s murder, Randy panics and hosts a yacht party before fleeing. FBI agent Vincent, alongside Mexican detective Hugo Marquez and Special Agent Linda Amistead, link the murders through ballistic evidence and conclude that Randy is likely the next target.

Alex kills Randy during the yacht party but sustains injuries while evading law enforcement. As his Alzheimer's symptoms deteriorate, he seeks refuge in his deceased father’s old bakery. He manages to infiltrate Davana’s heavily secured penthouse but is apprehended by Detective Danny Mora, who is revealed to be corrupt. In police custody at a hospital, Alex provides information implicating Davana but cannot remember where he concealed the incriminating recording.

Davana attempts to eliminate Alex through her doctor; however, Alex takes the doctor hostage before being fatally shot outside Vincent’s vehicle after handing over the flash drive. Vincent uncovers the hidden footage but lacks enough proof to charge Davana. Subsequently, Marquez kills Davana; Vincent and Linda witness news of her demise and realize Linda orchestrated an alibi for him.

Production

In February 2020, it was announced that Liam Neeson would headline Memory, an action thriller directed by Martin Campbell, portraying a highly skilled assassin known for his precision. Principal filming commenced in April 2021 in Bulgaria, with additional cast members including Guy Pearce, Monica Bellucci, Harold Torres, Taj Atwal, and Ray Fearon. The project represents a collaboration among Briarcliff Entertainment, Open Road Films, Black Bear Pictures, Welle Entertainment, Saville Productions, and Arthur Sarkissian Productions. The musical score was composed by Rupert Parkes, who previously worked with Campbell on The Protege.

Release

Memory premiered in the United States through Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment on April 29, 2022. It was subsequently released on video-on-demand on June 21, 2022, with Blu-ray and DVD editions following on July 5, 2022.

Box office

The film accumulated $7.3 million across the United States and Canada, alongside $6.7 million from international markets, bringing its global total to $14 million.

For its opening weekend in North America, Memory was forecasted to generate between $2 million and $5 million from 2,555 theaters. It earned $1.1 million on its initial day and concluded the weekend with $3.1 million, placing eighth at the box office. The audience composition consisted of 51% males; 84% were aged over 25, with 46% being older than 45. From an ethnic perspective, attendees were 49% Caucasian, 20% Hispanic or Latino, 20% African American, and 11% Asian or other backgrounds. In its second weekend, the movie brought in $1.4 million before dropping below the top ten in its third weekend with earnings of $450,038.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, Memory holds an approval rating of 29%, with an average score of 4.8 out of 10. Critics described it as a faint echo of stronger action thrillers associated with Liam Neeson or Martin Campbell. Metacritic assigned it a score of 41 out of 100, reflecting mixed or average reviews. According to PostTrak audience surveys, the film received a 66% positive rating, with 49% of viewers indicating they would definitely recommend it.

Richard Roeper from the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three stars out of four, describing it as "somewhat elevated beyond a typical B-movie action flick" and commending the direction by the then-78-year-old Campbell as "polished and captivating."