Two Cents is an original column akin to a book club for films. The Cinapse team will program films and contribute our best, most insightful, or most creative thoughts on each film using a maximum of 200 words each. Guest writers and fan comments are encouraged, as are suggestions for future entries to the column. Join us as we share our two cents on films we love, films we are curious about, and films we believe merit some discussion.
The Pick
Hello Cinapse lovelies, what brings you here? No seriously, what’s going on? Are we, like — are we doing a thing? Ohhhh, right Two Cents. Sorry, I forgot!
In the new drama Still Alice starring Julianne Moore, a renowned language expert comes to grips with the onset of Alzheimer’s. That reminded our fearless leader Ed of another film with the same plot device, albeit a different genre — the Belgian-Dutch crime thriller De Zaak Alzheimer (The Alzheimer’s Case), or The Memory Of A Killer as it’s more commonly known in the US. “Aging hitman turns the tables on his employers” films are a dime a dozen, but how many feature a protagonist who can’t remember what he ate for breakfast? While that may sound ripe for comedy, the conceit is played straight in this taut, noirish thriller.
– Austin
Greetings Cinapsateers and welcome to this week’s installment of Two Cents. Our film selection is The Memory of a Killer, a Dutch film about an assassin struggling with Alzheimers who, late now in life, discovers he is not the heartless monster he thought he was. It is almost enough to warm the heart. Granted, this portrayal of Alzheimers is neither as realistic or as heart felt as Still Alice, they are likely more similar than different, right?
– Liam
Did you get a chance to watch along with us this week? Want to recommend a great (or not so great) film for the whole gang to cover? Comment below or post on our Facebook or hit us up on Twitter!
Next Week’s Pick:
Saddle up for one of the all-time great westerns, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, directed by none other than Mr. John Ford himself. This classic not only features genre giants John Wayne and James Stewart, but a supporting cast that includes Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, John Carradine, Lee Van Cleef, and Woody Strode. Conflict on the set may have translated into tightly coiled performances, making this one of the most memorable films in the storied careers of its director and stars. Join us for this classic, available on Netflix Instant!
Would you like to be a guest in next week’s Two Cents column? Simply watch and send your under-200-word review to twocents(at)cinapse.co!
The Team
Ed:
While it hasn’t aged as well as I’d hoped, I still got plenty of enjoyment out of revisiting The Memory Of A Killer. In a post-Girl With The Dragon Tattoo world, the seedy underbelly of this aging, Alzheimer’s-ridden “assassin with a heart of gold” story feels more rote (and Memento inspired) than it did in 2003. The central premise of a badass hitman racing against the clock of his own slipping brain on a vigilante quest to expose an underaged girl trafficking ring with royal connections is still a great premise. And some action set pieces here are top notch. But many stylistic flourishes, from breaking the “180-degree rule” to symbolize the broken memory of the character, or cutting to green-tinted montages to visually represent his memory spells, feel cliche today. Interestingly I had always thought of aging hitman Ledda (Jan Decleir) as the main character of this Dutch action/thriller, but it turns out the films’ “good guys”, detectives Vincke (Koen De Bouw) and Verstuyft (Werner De Smedt) feature in a sequel called Dossier K. Director Erik Van Looy also helmed the seedy looking Loft and its English language remake which releases soon here in The States. (@Ed_Travis)
James:
The Memory of a Killer is one of those morally muddled hitmen-with-a-heart movies. But the added intriguing bonus here is that the aging assassin in this self-consciously dark Belgian thriller is going through the throws of senile dementia. Which would make for a hilarious, politically incorrect comedy, yet is unfortunately played totally straight.
Following a child prostitute’s murder that predictably switches on his latent morality, Jan Decleir’s absent-minded hitman cuts a vengeance-tinged bloody swathe through the upper echelons of Antwerp’s society whilst being chased by two dogged detectives. One’s so world weary he probably bores himself more than the audience, whereas the other’s defining character trait is urinating on BMWs for kicks.
Director Erik Van Looy’s Paul Verhoeven-lite caper delights in rubbing your face in all the moral bankruptcy, painting a picture of a society going down the toilet populated by corrupt officials, squabbling policemen and exploiters of the innocent.
Although it’s slickly made and moves at a cracking pace, the underwritten characters, cheap Saw-like lighting and the decidedly suss treatment of women emerge from beneath a pile of tired clichés (hired gun who only kills bad people; tortured, guilt-ridden cop; fucking rain). Ironically, in the end, it’s all rather forgettable. (@jconthagrid)
Brendan:
First of all, big thanks to Ed Travis for picking The Memory of a Killer. I’d never even so much as heard of this movie, let alone seen it, so it’s nice to have a reason to watch something completely out of the blue. My knowledge of Belgium extends to chocolates and weepy Irish crime films, so I was impressed to see that they were capable of producing a solid little crime drama, sort of diet Michael Mann but with goofy looking European people.
Memory of a Killer is a potboiler, and it ticks off more than few familiar boxes in its story of a repentant assassin on a doomed run for justice, and the dogged cop trying to chase him down. This familiarity is more of a problem in the film’s last chunk, when the “CORRUPTION!” plotline gets trotted out and followed to the letter. But the film chugs along with style and aplomb, doing away with narrative turns with impressive speed. Memory of a Killer may not change up its chosen genre, but it’s well executed and entertaining stuff, something Hollywood films of its ilk can’t even get right all that often. (@TheTrueBrendanF)
Austin:
Like Brendan, I hadn’t heard of The Memory Of A Killer before Ed brought it to our attention. I can probably count the number of Belgian or Dutch films I’ve seen on one hand, so in that respect I’m very glad to file this under “watched”, but while I enjoyed it I doubt it’ll stick with me. There are several pretty common plot devices here between the memory loss, retiring hitman, bad guy going straight, etc. Perhaps most oddly, I felt like the Alzheimer’s angle was underutilized. Aside from occasional panic attacks, the disease doesn’t seem to slow down our protagonist much.
That’s not to say the film is without its charms. The Alzheimer’s angle feels a much fresher choice than relying on the far less likely culprit of “amnesia” as a convenient memory-loss catalyst, and the surly older protagonist is a nice changeup. And in its own fictionalized way, this film raises awareness for a real mental illness that affects millions worldwide. (@VforVashaw)
Our Guests
Filmcat:
Guys, I’m just here by accident. I mishearded they ask if I want Belgian Waffles, but turns out this is “Belgian noir film”. Like all human films, this features hairless bipeds solving problems through violence, with guns clearly the phallic representation of overcompensation for their myriad impotences — in this case, a mental one. Consider the image above, in which the pistol clearly has an extension. Could the symbolism be more blatant? Two Paws Out Of Four. The back ones. (Filmcat)
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