Memory (2022) is a slow-burn neo-noir thriller directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale, GoldenEye). Liam Neeson stars as Alex Lewis, a veteran hitman specializing in "clean" jobs who is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. When he is hired to assassinate a 13-year-old Mexican girl who has been trafficked and abused by a powerful El Paso elite sex-ring, Alex's fading moral compass finally kicks in—he refuses the hit and turns against his employers. As his memory rapidly deteriorates (he relies on Polaroids, timers, and taped reminders just to function), Alex races to dismantle the ring before the FBI, his former handlers, and his own disease erase him completely. Co-starring Monica Bellucci, Guy Pearce, and Taj Atwal, the film is a grim, understated meditation on conscience, aging, and the cost of doing the right thing when you can barely remember what "right" is.

Movie Details

  • Title: Memory
  • Release Date: April 29, 2022 (US theatrical & VOD same-day release)
  • Director: Martin Campbell
  • Writer: Dario Scardapane (based on the 2003 Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer by Jef Geeraerts and the 2005 remake The Memory of a Killer)
  • Genre: Action, Thriller, Crime, Neo-Noir
  • Runtime: 114 minutes
  • Rating: R (violence, language throughout, some sexual references)
  • Production Companies: Black Bear Pictures, Saville Productions, Open Road Films
  • Distributor: Open Road Films / Briarcliff Entertainment (US)
  • Budget: ~$30 million
  • Box Office: $14.7 million worldwide (considered a flop theatrically but performed decently on VOD)
  • Cast:
    • Liam Neeson as Alex Lewis
    • Guy Pearce as FBI Agent Vincent Serra
    • Monica Bellucci as Davana Sealman (the billionaire villain)
    • Taj Atwal as FBI Agent Linda Amisted
    • Ray Stevenson as Detective Danny Mora
    • Harold Torres as Hugo
    • Ray Fearon as Gerald Nussbaum
  • Music: Rupert Parkes (Photek)
  • Current Ratings (as of November 2025): IMDb 5.7/10; Rotten Tomatoes 31% (Critics), 68% (Audience) – praised for Neeson’s restrained performance and the Alzheimer’s angle, criticized as “Taken with dementia”