The Memory of a Killer

Yesterday I saw "The Memory of a Killer," a Belgian film, at the Quad Cinema. It's an enjoyable action/thriller that's being compared to "Memento" because the lead character, an assassin, is suffering from Alzheimer's. (He also writes important information on his arm in black marker just as Guy Pearce made indelible marks on his own body in "Memento.") But there the similarities end. In "The Memory of a Killer," the assassin's failing memory is merely a plot complication (at one point late in the film he assembles his weapon, forgetting to include the firing pin...oops) and another corruption in a world where child prostitution, politics, and religion freely mingle. The aging assassin Ledda, played wonderfully by Jan Declair, is secretly hired to kill two people by a prominent Belgian baron. After snapping the neck of the first victim and confronting the second target, Ledda decides he is unable to finish the job, which puts his own life at stake. The predator becomes the prey as Ledda is chased by an idealistic police officer and Ledda's disappointed employers. Manohla Dargis in the "Times" says that "An amnesiac killer is an inherently rich conceit" and she's right. Like Tony Soprano staggering through an anxiety attack, Ledda demands our fascination for the horrible weakness of his tremendous power.