"A Misguided Mess": Critics Slam Liam Nesson's Latest Thriller 'Memory'
Liam Neeson's latest 'reluctant assassin' thriller is rather poorly received by critics: looks like they're getting tired with Neeson's pre-retirement action flicks.
The plot of 'Memory' centers on a professional killer who finds himself faced with a moral dilemma. He cannot fulfill his employer's contract because it violates his moral code, so he must hunt down and kill those who have hired him. In doing so, he struggles with his fading memory, which makes the job of a professional assassin very difficult indeed. Yep, Neeson's latest is certainly over the top.
'Memory' is currently at pretty weak 33% freshness on Rotten Tomatoes and is certainly disappointing to critics.
Next Best Picture's Nicole Ackman noted that it is "almost shocking to see an effort that throws away what could have been a fascinating exploration of aging, morality, and illness, and becomes a dull, underwritten mess in its place," while The Weekend Warrior's Edward Douglas described the film as "a misguided mess from beginning to end, dull at times and then just getting more dour as it goes along."
Luke Y. Thompson of AV Club poked fun at the movie, joking that "it'd be nice to think that the forgettable nature of Memory was a deliberate irony. Then we could grant it bonus points for cleverness, rather than an average grade for just being bland." Ouch.
But not all critics were so negative about Liam Neeson shooting his guns again, with Variety's Peter Debruge claiming that although the film "isn't terribly convincing, but it's at least trying for something more serious than most."
San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle perfectly described the film, saying that "whatever 'Memory' is, Neeson fans will want to see it."
'Memory' will showcase Neeson's particular set of skills on April 29, 2022, when the film is released.