The spirit of Taken lives on with Liam Neeson as he plays a different man with a certain set of skills, an expert assassin who is the best of the best. However, Alex Lewis gets caught in a moral dilemma, one where he refuses to complete a job because it violates his code. He tries to quickly hunt down the people that hired him before they and FBI agent Vincent Serra find the assassin first. The upcoming action/thriller also stars Guy Pearce and Monica Bellucci. The Martin Campbell feature will be released on April 29, 2022.
A Showcase Of Alex As An Assassin
Liam Neeson is an assassin (Just in case you didn’t get that in the first paragraph), so what does he do best…assassinate. In truth, Memory seems more in the same of Liam Neeson’s wheelhouse of anti-heroes, but given that Martin Campbell is directing here, this could be something fun regardless. The opening nicely demonstrates Alex’s profession. He’s a cold-hearted murderer for hire, and the remaining seconds of the trailer continues to showcase the world that Neeson lives. He also displays the typical, “I feel guilty for my sins” anti-hero throughout the portion that highlights his past crimes. Again, this story is nothing new, but the cinematography looks great and so does the action. Memory may not reinvent the wheel, but it still comes off as a fun thrill ride.
Alex Makes It Clear That He Doesn’t Kill Children
Of course, like every good assassin, Alex has a moral complex of not murdering children. The trailer does a solid job of laying out the ground work for the type of man that Alex is. Yes, he’s a paid contract killer, but one with health that is slowly declining and a conscience that’s getting the better of him. Earlier in the film, Alex expresses regret over being the bad guy for so long, perhaps him encountering the young girl was a wake-up call and some sort of redemption. There’s not much information about Alex in terms of his personal life; Maybe he has a few children of his own? It’s great that Memory isn’t just a run-of-the-mill actioner that plays off the simple troupe of these type of movies. Martin Campbell is seemingly exploring the man behind the cold assassin, which could ultimately help Memory stand out from a crowded genre.
Alex Has Memory Loss
This taps more into the human side of Alex’s character. Given his age, his health is on a clear decline. Alex can’t remember the room number, a bottom of pills was found at the crime scene, and he doesn’t even remember the night before his assignment. Is it time for Alex to consider retirement? Or is this due to the shady agency he works for? What if those pills are secretly slowing down Alex’s mobility so he can be the fall man? As previously stated, Memory has more dimension that the typical genre fare, which helps add the tension and intrigue into the upcoming feature. This isn’t Martin Campbell’s first rodeo so everything that seems obvious in the trailer is likely a red herring. Surely, they couldn’t give away the twist about Guy Pearce’s character, right?
The Assassin Fights Back
Alex has made a stance on killing an innocent girl clear and wants nothing to do with the assignment. Now, Alex’s life becomes more complicated, and with his clear health problems, Alex’s journey to find the truth and get revenge doesn’t seem as simple as it once was. The trailer does a strong job of documenting Alex’s plight: Accept fate and die at the hands of the people that hired him or get to bottom of the situation and put a stop to it once and for all. The action doesn’t particularly look inventive or out-of-the-box, but it still comes off as great and well choreographed. Memory may have made the mistake of giving away too much information (more on that below), but it serves as a good popcorn affair, nothing less, nothing more.
Vincent Asks What Side Alex Wants To Be On
So Memory seems to give away the twist that Guy Pearce and Monica Bellucci are the true villains of this film. It does dampen the tension when such a revelation is showcased in the trailer, but at the very least, Pearce’s place is more so played up as a mystery. Is he an honorable FBI? Or is he caught in the scandal and corruption orchestrated by Davana and her agency? It’s a nice mystery and it would be great to see Guy Pearce and Liam Neeson kicking butt together. Though the two veterans duking it out should also be a fun distraction as well.
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