MEMORY

 Liam Neeson     Monaca Bellucci     Guy Pearce

            No justice?  Well…maybe…  That’s the subject of this thriller starring Liam Neeson in the role of a paid assassin; that is, is justice ever served, really?

            The extra twist in this movie based on an earlier Belgium movie entitled The Memory of a Killer is that the paid assassin is suffering from progressing Alzheimer’s Disease.  In this case, Alex Lewis (Neeson) is in his later years and planning to retire.  No more “jobs.”  But as a favor to an old friend, he agrees to take on one more.  “Famous last words” and all that.

            The beginning of the intrigue is a bit confusing at first, with six different people in different places introduced right away.  Keep track because you’ll encounter all of them later.  The upshot is that Alex has been persuaded to take on another job.  We quickly move from Guadalajara to El Paso to Mexico City and back to El Paso.  Essentially, the plot addresses the fundamental issue of whether justice can ever be served.  There are different kinds of justice, of course—what happens to those caught up in something in which they have no control—and true justice in which perpetrators of cruelty are given their comeuppance.  Those who are complicit in injustice are likewise addressed.

            Vincent Serra (Pearce) is a committed FBI agent who takes an interest in a child, Beatriz (Mia Sanchez in a top performance), caught up in something she cannot possibly understand.  She’s the daughter of a trafficker snared by Serra and his team.  He recognizes her innocence (an emotion we later learn is possibly based on his own experience) and tries to see that she is protected by U.S. child protective agencies.  Here, the issue of the treatment of undocumented people is touched upon.  (A strength of this film is its ability to layer related social issues.)

            The history of the plot itself is based on first a book by Jef Geeraerts, a film, “De zaak Alzheimer” by Carl Joos and Erik Van Looy and a screenplay by Dario Scardapane.  Director Martin Campbell with his collaborators cinematographer David Tattersall, musician Photek, and the actors Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce and the rest of the cast deliver a thoughtful action film that is worthy of the genre.  

            Memory is a thriller through and through where we see a paid assassin acting on personal limits (which are explained in the end) creating such an uproar he ends up being on the side of the FBI agent he deems to be moral and committed.  I liked that in the end justice can be served.

 

An unlikely thriller in which moral limits are tested and found to be among those least admired.

 

Grade:  A                              By Donna R. Copeland

TOM CLANCY'S WITHOUT REMORSE

 Michael B. Jordan     Jodie Turner-Smith     Jamie Bell     Guy Pearce

            John Kelly is an elite Navy Seal whose home is invaded one evening, and although the intruders were not able to kill him, they did kill his wife.  Wounded, John manages to kill most of them in retaliation, but one gets away.  He realizes this is related to a top-secret operation in Aleppo, Syria he was participated in.  He is tried and put in prison for his crime.  He senses the attack on him is part of some government’s plot, but he isn’t sure what it is.  It was Russians who attacked his home.

            John is considered to be a risk both in terms of someone killing him, and in terms of his determination to seek out and kill the one remaining intruder.  While he is in prison, the CIA (which still has its suspicions about him) recruits him for a secret mission in which Americans would be sent to Russia to capture a Russian agent suspected of working against the U.S. for years and bring him to justice.  He may be the one who got away from John’s house, which makes him determined to go on the mission.

            The trip is a dangerous one, and sure enough, there are many treacherous encounters that ensue even after they manage to get to Russia. 

            Without Remorse provides the origin story for Tom Clancy’s John Clark, a character in his Jack Ryan series.  It helps if one is familiar with the background, but the script is so well written by Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water, Wind River, Sicario) and Will Staples, it’s exciting on its own, with a mixture of daring and persistence on the part of Kelly, government politics and intrigue, and realistic characters showing their hopes and anxieties.

            Michael B. Jordan has a fine record of performances (television’s “The Wire” and “Friday Night Lights”, and movies Fruitvale Station, Black Panther), which have prepared him well for this role of an astute, skillful Navy Seal with a conscience and a compelling force that makes him soldier on against all odds.  

            The softer but highly competent role of Jodie Turner-Smith provides good balance to the masculine forces all around her.  Jamie Bell serves well as one to be suspicious of, but always equipped with an intelligent plan.  Guy Pearce seems to be able to merge into any character that comes his way; he has a record of a multiplicity of all different kinds of roles, and I always enjoy seeing him in all of them.  His role here is a bit mysterious, which is just as it should be.

            The film doesn’t really stand apart from other good films in the genre but will entertain the viewer interested in the genre.   

 

Tom Clancy fans will be treated to fine writing and acting in this thriller mixing intrigue with physical combat.

 

Grade:  B                              By Donna R. Copeland

MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS

Margot Robbie     Saoirse Ronan     David Tennant     Guy Pearce     Jack Lowden

Joe Alwyn     Brendan Coyle     Martin Compston     James McArdle

     The movie reflects the views of historian John Guy in his book, My Heart is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots, which departs from previous historical accounts that were more critical of Mary and her leadership, but nevertheless won the 2004 Whitbread prize for biography.  In this version of history, Mary was betrayed numerous times, ending with her beheading by order of Queen Elizabeth I of England.  Whether it is regarded as historical truth or a biased perspective, I’m not one to judge; but as a movie it is fascinating, and contains more than a kernel of truth about human nature and the willingness to stop at nothing in the interest of personal ambitions.  Beau Willimon’s (of HBO’s “House of Cards” fame) screenplay brings excitement, suspense, and a realistic(?) view of political intrigue. As much as one can rely on Guy’s accounts, the viewer will feel better informed about   English-Scottish conflict, particularly as relates to Mary, Queen of Scots.

     Whether factual and intended, or simply a reflection of male-female relationships in general, the movie illustrates the difficulties many men have when women are in power.  In this case, both queens rely heavily on male advisors who may or may not have their superior’s best interest in mind.  It seems that men in both realms have their own agendas—which always seem to include weakening of the female power to be replaced by a male authority.

     Both queens are pressured to produce a male (or secondarily a female) heir to the throne. Elizabeth, who identifies with men, refuses to marry (because she can’t find a man willing to be a wife) and remains single throughout her life, despite her chief minister’s urging to find a mate.  There are rather comical scenes when she sends Robert Dudley, her favorite advisor whom she is sweet on, to woo Mary, as an ultimate plan to control Scotland; but Mary sends him back to England, and he is a pawn for a time after that.

     Mary takes matters into her own hands, and when the first seducer comes courting, she makes sure she will bear a child.  Unfortunately, he is Lord Darnley, a man of weak character dominated by an ambitious father, who will have undue influence on him against Mary. Nevertheless, she does get pregnant and bears a son she names James, after her father and an uncle.

     Major unrest and military encounters ensue through the years, with one side or the other winning, and always planned and executed by the men surrounding the queens.  In this account, Mary comes across as a strong military leader as well as one with sound principles (she is accepting of both Protestants and Catholics, a bitter divide at the time) and astute political sensibilities, as attested to by Queen Elizabeth herself.  Her pleas with Queen Elizabeth are eloquent, but unfortunately may be followed by what appears to Elizabeth to be insubordination.  

     The work of Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie are both award-worthy performances. Each captures her character’s essential elements and makes us forget the actress and “believe” in the character. They “own” this film so much that even though we get strong performances from Guy Pearce and other actors, it is really Ronan’s and Robbie’s film.  

     Kudos to Beau Willimon for the script, Max Richter for the music, James Merifield for production design, and John Mathieson for cinematography. Director Josie Rourke shows talent in this her first major film to helm, I will be looking for her work in the future.

History is presented as the amazing drama it so often actually is.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

RESULTS

Guy Pearce     Cobie Smulders     Giovanni Ribisi     Kevin Corrigan     Tishuan Scott

Results takes place at a fitness gym, Power 4 Life, which advertises just that:  results.  It’s where the owner-manager Trevor (Pearce) keeps a cool head when trainers like Kat (Smulders) and Lorenzo (Scott) get into conflict or Kat gets too ambitious (e.g., hassling a client stopped at a stop sign for not paying her bill).  He tries to be cool when a man drops in to enroll, but has no idea what he wants to accomplish.  He seems to be going on the idea that this is what people with money do. It turns out that Danny (Corrigan) inherited a lot of money recently, and wants to spend it on whatever, for instance, offering to pay the gym fee a year in advance and offering a repairman $200 just for a TV hook-up.  Trevor senses something odd about him and wants to pair him with Scott to avoid any sticky issues, but Kat insists that she deserves the new client and can handle Danny.  So she gets him.

 

As time passes, dual relationships develop, complicating the picture and moving the film quickly into comedy.  As Danny makes efforts to get into shape—huffing and puffing—his many quirks emerge, including his making a pass at Kat, and it is apparent that she is unable to manage him after all.  Trevor steps in, but almost loses him as a client, and has to back up and try again.   They eventually become friends, but complexities continue to develop, and Ribisi shows up as Danny’s attorney, which means there is still more to resolve, including a romantic relationship.

 

These actors are all very good, and it’s refreshing to see the talented Pearce play a more “normal” character who is not smarmy or dangerous.  He, Smulders, and Korrigan have good chemistry and elevate the film from the rather weak plot.  Andrew Bujalski, the writer/director (Computer Chess, Funny Ha Ha) likes to keep things loose, which derails the progression of the story  at times. 

A light comedy for date-night, maybe.

Grade:  C+ By Donna R. Copeland