For Assassin for hire Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson), taking out criminals and shady individuals is all part of the job. Alex does not ask too many questions and he is good and what he does which is why his skills are in high demand.
In the new film “Memory”, Alex must hide his failing health and growing memory loss which has become so severe that he often writes things on his arm in order to remember key information.
When Alex is tasked with taking down a target related to Human Trafficking he accepts the job but when he finds out his target is a young girl he refuses to complete the job and states that he does not target children.
Unfortunately, this decision sets Alex up for targeting by the very people who hire him as his target is the key to a ring that includes some very high-ranking and influential people, and this forces, Alex, to take the fight to some very dangerous people.
At the same time, FBI Agent Vincent Serra (Guy Pierce) is deeply involved in the case not only regarding the intended target but for Alex himself which forces Alex to contend with multiple threats, including his rapidly failing health.
The movie is based on the Belgian film “The Memory of a Killer” and for fans of Neeson, this is the type of film you have come to expect from him in recent years as it is a tale of a man battling his demons while trying to do what is right.
As he did with “Blacklight” Neeson has again picked a character dealing with an ailment as a way to address the fact that his characters are not Teflon action stars but rather vulnerable and flawed individuals who are trying to do what is right even when their pasts are less than desirable.
There are some decent action sequences in the game and while the film will not likely approach the levels of some of his earlier action films, it does check enough of the boxes to be a satisfying if at times formulaic film.
3 stars out of 5
