Release Date, Cast, and Everything You Need to Know

Liam Neeson is second to none at playing good guys who must turn to questionable means to get the job done, but what happens when his killer with a heart of gold begins to forget his “very particular set of skills”? In Memory, Neeson plays Alex, an expert assassin with a strict moral code and a faltering memory. Memory looks primed to deliver on both classic action and interesting ethical quandaries with the official synopsis promising that “Alex is built for revenge but, with a memory that is beginning to falter, he is forced to question his every action, blurring the line between right and wrong.”

Martin Campbell, director of the Bond classics Casino Royale and GoldenEye, directs Memory. Campbell also directed last year’s action film The Protégé. Produced by Black Bear Pictures, Welle Entertainment, and Saville Productions, Memory will be distributed by Open Road Pictures and Briarcliff Entertainment. Memory’s music is composed by Rupert Parkes, also known as Photek. Parkes has scored movies including Blade and also composed the music for the show How to Get Away with Murder. He was nominated for a Grammy for his remix of Daft Punk’s “End of the Line” for the film Tron: Legacy.

Memory’s screenplay is written by Dario Scardapane, based on the novel De zaak Alzheimer by Belgian writer Jef Geeraerts. Geeraerts’s story was previously made into a film in 2003’s Belgian thriller De zaak Alzheimer, written by Carl Joos and directed by Erik Van Loy. Dementia and memory loss are far more realistic and common foes than those faced by most action movie heroes. A study sponsored by Pfizer found that 15{a804659bb65d18cb4a6dc8e7d034c3e09b42584b41147982650930584377f6e7} of Americans fear age related memory loss, more than the percentage that listed death as a fear, and unfortunately this is not an unreasonable fear, as research has found that “about 40{a804659bb65d18cb4a6dc8e7d034c3e09b42584b41147982650930584377f6e7} of people aged 65 or older have age associated memory impairment.” It is unclear how realistically Memory plans to show severe memory loss, but Alex’s battle, not just with cartels but also with his own recollections and sense of self, could elevate Memory above similar revenge-driven action flicks and give emotional weight to this intriguing premise. Memory looks to be a relatively loose adaptation of the source material, with names and locations changed. Here’s everything you need to know about Memory.

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Is There a Trailer for Memory?

A trailer for Memory was released on March 15, 2022. The trailer opens with a stylish shot of a man being assassinated while running on the treadmill at a gym, showing just how skilled and discreet Neeson’s assassin really is. The stylish action should come as no surprise to fans of Campbell’s work. Campbell has spoken in the past about his fondness for longer shots in action films and on the importance of allowing the audience to appreciate the choreography and stunt work. The trailer shows why fans of beautifully-shot action films should be in for a treat with Campbell in the director’s seat.

What Is Memory’s Release Date and Where Can You Watch It?

Memory will be released in theaters throughout the US on April 29, 2022. Clocking in at a little under two hours, you may be able to get that large soda and make it through Memory without a mid-movie bathroom break. There is no information yet on when or where Memory will be available via streaming. It has an R-rating for violence, blood, and language, which is unsurprising given Memory‘s dark and violent premise.

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What Is Memory About?

Memory is the story of Alex, an assassin with a strict policy of not hurting children. When both he and his ethical code are betrayed by an employer, Alex sets out to take revenge. Alex’s time is limited though as he is beginning to suffer from a disease that is robbing him of his memory. Alex’s former employer is also in the sights of Vincent Serra, an FBI agent trying to go by the book to stop the crime syndicate. Alex struggles with doubting himself and his memory as he tries to determine who he can trust and how he can ensure that justice is done.

Here’s the synopsis for the film, courtesy of Open Road Films:

MEMORY follows Alex Lewis (Liam Neeson), an expert assassin with a reputation for discreet precision. Caught in a moral quagmire, Alex refuses to complete a job that violates his code and must quickly hunt down and kill the people who hired him before they and FBI agent Vincent Serra (Guy Pearce) find him first. Alex is built for revenge but, with a memory that is beginning to falter, he is forced to question his every action, blurring the line between right and wrong.

Who Are in the Cast of Memory?

Liam Neeson stars as the aging assassin, once more bringing depth and soul to a violent killer. At nearly seventy years old, Neeson is still a credible action hero and while his violent protagonist in the Taken franchise goes to extreme lengths because the person in danger is his daughter or another family member, and his character in Cold Pursuit is seeking vengeance for his son’s death, in Memory, Alex seemingly has nothing but a sense of justice tying him to the girl he goes to great lengths to save and avenge.

Guy Pearce plays Vincent Serra, the FBI agent trying to stop Alex from delivering his form of vigilante justice. Pearce is no stranger to killers with memory problems and trust issues considering he played Leonard, a person in that exact predicament, in Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, Memento.

Model and actress Monica Belluci stars as Davana Sealman. Belluci is known for playing Persephone in the Matrix films and playing Lucia Sciarra in the James Bond film Spectre.

Memory’s other stars include Taj Atwal, Ray Fearon, Harold Torres, and Ray Stevenson. Taj Atwal plays Linda Amistead. Atwal played Seema in Martin Campbell’s 2021 film The Protégé and was a series regular in The Syndicate. Ray Fearon is a British actor known for playing Nathan Harding on the long-running soap Coronation Street and for voicing Fawkes the beloved phoenix in Harry Potter. Harold Torres is known for films including Everybody Loves Somebody and The ABCs of Death. Stevenson is known for playing the complex mobster Isaak Sirko on Dexter and for playing Volstagg in the Thor films.

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