Billy Zane plays Taylor Briggs, a medical researcher devoted to finding a cure for Alzheimer's (his bedridden mother is suffering from the disease). While lecturing in Brazil, he comes into contact with a patient in a hospital who's been "painted" with red ochre, used in tribal rituals to enable people to experience the memories of their ancestors. After this exposure, Taylor becomes aware of child abductions that occurred in the early 70s, before he was born, and the creepy, masked perpetrator. Just like all lead characters in stories like this, he determines to solve the crimes, as he continues to be plagued by bizarre dreams and hallucinations.
Co-scripted by producer / director Bennett Joshua Davlin, from his own novel, "Memory" is certainly passable, if not all that credible. Davlin takes his material quite seriously, except for the occasional venture into light comedy. The story probably wouldn't hold up if viewers took the time to scrutinize it, but it entertains decently enough for 99 minutes. It benefits from the presence of an able cast: veterans Dennis Hopper and Ann-Margret are engaging as Taylors' longtime friends, Tricia Helfer is charming as the requisite love interest, and Terry Chen is amiable as a fairly typical best friend character, who both supplies some of the comedy relief and takes the time to admonish our hero when he feels he's becoming obsessed with decades-old crimes. But one main problem is that this is all set up too obviously, with not many viewers likely to be surprised with how it all turns out (and that includes the final twist in the closing moments).
The film is directed and shot with reasonable competence, but is of no real distinction.
Six out of 10.
Co-scripted by producer / director Bennett Joshua Davlin, from his own novel, "Memory" is certainly passable, if not all that credible. Davlin takes his material quite seriously, except for the occasional venture into light comedy. The story probably wouldn't hold up if viewers took the time to scrutinize it, but it entertains decently enough for 99 minutes. It benefits from the presence of an able cast: veterans Dennis Hopper and Ann-Margret are engaging as Taylors' longtime friends, Tricia Helfer is charming as the requisite love interest, and Terry Chen is amiable as a fairly typical best friend character, who both supplies some of the comedy relief and takes the time to admonish our hero when he feels he's becoming obsessed with decades-old crimes. But one main problem is that this is all set up too obviously, with not many viewers likely to be surprised with how it all turns out (and that includes the final twist in the closing moments).
The film is directed and shot with reasonable competence, but is of no real distinction.
Six out of 10.