Memory (II) (2006) User Reviews (30)

A pleasant surprise...

[MetalGeek · 6/10 · 27 July 2010]

I had never heard of "Memory" till I purchased it on a 4-movie "Horror Collector's Set" DVD from the bargain bin. In addition to "Memory," the other three movies on the DVD were Tobe Hooper's "Mortuary," "Wages of Sin" and "Bloody Mary." "Mortuary" wasn't too bad but the other two films were flat-out awful, so by the time I sat down to watch "Memory" I really wasn't expecting much. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the best movie on the DVD, even though it certainly isn't what I would consider a "Horror" movie. "Memory" is a fine mystery/suspense thriller along the lines of a James Patterson story (think "Kiss the Girls" or "Along Came A Spider") with some occasional horrific overtones.

Billy Zane of "Titanic" stars as Taylor, a researcher for a pharmaceutical company who is accidentally exposed to an unknown drug compound while in Brazil for a convention. When he returns home to Boston, he begins having disturbing flashbacks of a masked person in a black cloak, dark forests, and little girls. Disturbed by these visions, he begins to do some research on the powder he touched and it turns out that Indian tribes in the Amazon have been using it for thousands of years to see other people's memories, through their own eyes. Unfortunately for Taylor, the person whose memories he's now "sharing" happens to be a psycho who's been kidnapping and killing little girls for the past 30 years without being caught. With the help of his artist girlfriend (Tricia Helfer of "Battlestar Galactica") and two family friends (the late great Dennis Hopper and Ann-Margret) he takes it upon himself to unravel the mystery and stop the masked kidnapper before he can claim yet another new victim. As his investigation moves along, it seems that the killer also has a connection to Taylor's past that he has never suspected.

Though this was obviously a low budget film (from a first time writer/director) "Memory" is a nice looking film and a tight, fast moving effort. The veteran cast turns in fine performances all around, and the twists and turns of the plot will keep the viewer guessing till its creepy finale in the kidnapper's lair. This is also the coolest set piece in the movie, a cavernous building loaded with scary looking mannequins and bizarre scrawlings on the walls. I thought I had the ending figured out early on but as it turns out, the filmmakers threw me a curve ball that I wasn't expecting. Horror fans will probably be disappointed by this flick (as I said, it really doesn't belong on a "Horror" DVD) but fans of psychological thrillers should be pleased with this little known gem.

"Memory" can apparently be found cheaply wherever bargain DVDs are sold so I would recommend checking it out. Just a tip, if you happen to buy it on the same "Horror Collector's Set" that I did, skip the other three movies on it and go right to this one.

Memory: Passable but forgettable

[Platypuschow · 5/10 · 21 January 2018]

I don't know why this is going round as a horror movie, it's not even close. Memory is a thriller and a passable one at that.

Billy Zane, Dennis Hopper, Tricia Helfer and Ann-Margret star in this clever though ultimately flawed little tale of a man recieving premonitions and his efforts to decipher them.

This is evidence once again that Billy Zane is one of Hollywoods most underrated, underutilised and underappreciated actors. The man can do it all yet gets stuck with wall to wall b-movies.

Memory has some nice ideas but fails to present them very well, it's one of those films that could have been great if handled by the right people but alas wasn't.

Decent enough effort but should have been better.

The Good:

Cast deliver

Some nice ideas

The Bad:

Generic delivery

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Billy Zane needs more appreciation

Dennis Hopper CAN do roles without coming across as weird and/or disturbing

not a bad way to spend a weeknight

[desipunk80 · 5/10 · 27 November 2007]

This is a neat little movie, if you ignore some of the obvious clichés and TV movie pacing. But it is NOT for gore-hounds and ppl turned on by SAW type violence.

Given of course that you don't let logic come in the way...as the plot is convoluted and the 'scientific' theories pretty laughable...plus a somewhat predictable ending...plus the movie is longer than judgment day...we dozed off about 5 diff times Glad we stayed till the end tho. Because what this movie has going for it is a return to an older, more conventional serial killer storyline. With good atmospheric buildup, and thankfully minimal gore, so that you could at least think about watching it with family. Don't know about you, but I'm kinda getting sick and tired of all the SAW and HOSTEL ripoffs.

Don't expect much from the actors. For those who've tracked their careers, Billy Zane and D Hopper have been collecting paychecks for a while now, and they sleepwalk thru their roles here as well. Oldtimer Ann Margret puts in a decent performance, tho the role hardly requires acting ability.

5 out of 10

How do we see things?

[lee_eisenberg · 21 October 2011]

The cast members explained in interviews that the main theme of Bennett Davlin's "Memory" is the idea of seeing something through someone else's eyes, as the main character (Billy Zane) does: an otherwise benevolent person suddenly has memories of committing horrible acts. This is not a slasher movie or home invasion movie. There's the issue of what has been hidden. Parts of the movie did trick me a little bit, and I found it to be a pretty clever flick. It's not frightening or anything, but I liked how they laid everything out.

OK, so we could be cynical and say that this is a totally improbable story. So what? The movie is understood to be improbable. I still say that it's a very clever plot. Above all, it's great to see Dennis Hopper (RIP) and Ann-Margret still playing such interesting roles. Worth seeing.

Messy and Absurd Thriller

[claudio_carvalho · 4/10 · 2 January 2008]

While in Salvador, Brazil, in a medical congress, the researcher of Alzheimer Dr. Taylor Briggs (Billy Zane) and his colleague and friend Dr. Deepra Chang (Terry Chen) are invited to visit a local hospital. They find a patient from Amazon with a unique case of tumors in the memory cells, and while examining him, the glove of Taylor ruptures and his finger touches a strange powder. Taylor has visions from 1971, and once back to Boston, he finds that he has genetically stored memories of a serial killer of little girls activated by the powder.

"Memory" is a messy and absurd thriller. I was attracted by the cast, with Dennis Hopper, Ann-Margret and Billy Zane, but I in the end I was absolutely disappointed with the coincidences and the insane and totally unbelievable story. For Brazilians, it is hilariously ridiculous the geographic confusion of the screenplay, with a sick patient coming from Amazon to Salvador (why?); Taylor and Deepra are in a congress in Salvador (there is a footage of the city), they go to a bar and the director uses footage of the front of "Barril 1800", in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro instead of a local bar; the interior of the bar is probably in a studio. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "Alucinações" ("Hallucinations")

Disappointing thriller.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 5/10 · 17 June 2007]

The plot of "Memory" goes like that:When Dr.Taylor Briggs is exposed to a mysterious drug while lecturing in Brazil,he is forced to relive the dark,twisted memories of a killer. Embarking upon a lone journey to unlock the mystery of a past that is not his own,Taylor must find a killer whose horrifying work may not be over...First of all I really don't understand the rave reviews this film has on IMDb.I found "Mem-o-re" disappointing,frustrating and dull.Billy Zane does his professional best with what he is given and Ann-Margret is always interesting to watch.The story itself is silly and the film lacks suspense and gore.By the thing lurches to its woefully obvious finale,you'll be knee-deep into snoozeville.I suggest avoiding this one.5 out of 10.

Bad Bad Bad ................

[baz-ish · 1/10 · 29 January 2007]

Reading the various posts regarding this film, I have to offer my apologies to the young actors who appeared in it, given that I cannot find any redeeming qualities within it. Its a shame that any aspiring young actor would eagerly anticipate the release of this film, even if they are part of the cast ........

Anyway, I guess I was put off this film early on, by the line of dialogue which stated the natives had been around for 2 million years ! Oh, and Dennis Hopper had been wearing the same training shoes since 1971, and .......... & etc.

So there are a few actors whose names you will recognise, certainly, thats where the budget was spent, yet sadly there is no evidence of value for money.

But please do try and watch this film, they clearly need the money for a better production crew, and besides, any film you watch after this will seem superb.

A Pleasant Surprise From Zane and Hopper

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 14 June 2007]

After accidentally touching an unknown drug, Taylor Briggs (Billy Zane) begins having flashbacks to the life of someone else -- a child abductor who has never been caught. Can he put the pieces together and solve the crime before the kidnapper abducts again?

I have said in other reviews that Billy Zane really makes a movie. My trust in that statement was fractured after seeing "The Mad" (though I don't blame Zane), but once more restored after this picture. He appears in practically every scene. While not the greatest film you'll see (it has a very made-for-TV or straight-to-video feel about it), the plot is interesting and the characters likable. Billy Zane, of course, helps tremendously by being the evil twin of Ben Affleck.

It also helps to have Dennis Hopper play Taylor's foster father Max Lichtenstein, although his only purpose in this film is to show up at random times with a few beers and cigars. Oh well, he's still better here than he was in "Land of the Dead". "Max," says Hopper, "is a guy whose wife has died and he's sort of coasting through life a bit like a ghost. But it's a really warm relationship that he has with Taylor -- something genuine and real." That's a good quote. And Hopper knows Max, if the rumors are true, because he spent weeks studying his lines despite being a relatively small character -- residents around town would catch him in restaurants reading. Tricia Helfer was also pretty decent, though not particularly noteworthy.

This was a plot-driven film, to be sure. Rated R for "language and frightening images", there's no nudity or gore here. The frightening images, as far as I can tell, are just a person in a mask. Nothing really disturbing. There's a photo album that may be thought as disturbing by some. I thought it was deviously brilliant.

The plot was excellent because it's not only a thriller but also a mystery (a race against time to solve a child abduction case, while the lead also must find how he's connected to the kidnapper). There's even sub-mysteries (such as how the lead's girlfriend knows about the kidnappings) that might leave you guessing. And random shout-out: nice use of a cell phone as a flashlight. We've all been there.

I give this film credit because I thought I had it figured out before it was half over. My two guesses about certain plots were close, but ultimately both wrong. There's a few twists you won't see coming. The "big reveal" is disappointing only if you're being overly critical, as they sort of dump it all on you at once for no reason. But I thought it was okay.

I wouldn't have rented this film on my own, but having been asked to review it, I'm glad I did. If you're scanning the new releases and find this, you could do much worse. I saw it with two friends and we all seemed to enjoy it, so it caters to a wider range than just myself. And Billy Zane and Dennis Hopper are in it. Worth checking out if you want a story different from your usual serial killers and splatter films.

Some great old stars

[wisewebwoman · 2/10 · 4 October 2015]

in a very disappointing effort. The plot just can't stick together and the dream sequences and reality get all mixed up and then the ending- completely unbelievable and too many co-incidences all through it.

I thought the ending was part of his nightmare sequences as it was so outlandish in the basement of the perp's house, that just never made sense.

The script was weak and it seemed like some South American countries got mixed up and Taylor's mother's Alzheimer's seemed like a contrivance to make the plot points fit.

A waste of a decent cast in a film destined for the dustbin.

2 out of 10.

Disappointing.

Great film about memory

[UniqueParticle · 7/10 · 11 April 2020]

Taylor Briggs (Billy Zane) accidentally cuts himself whist checking on a dying patient and starts experiencing bizarre phenomenons/ memories that he wants to solve. Mediocre for a first time director, not as bad as ratings perceive. Kinda surprised legendary actor Dennis Hopper was in this underground thriller definitely a pleasant thing! I absolutely love the flashing images in several parts and the peaceful music!

Not so bad

[saara77 · 5/10 · 23 January 2007]

I have seen this movie twice. The first time, it seemed to me - interesting start, slow middle, fast and not explained end. But, I thought that a movie with stars like Hopper, Margaret or Zane should not be so crap. That is why I decided to watch it for the second time. Well, for the second time it seemed to me a little bit better, but still - interesting, slow and then fast, but at least I did understand everything at the end. The movie has a great idea, that's right, something for X-files or something like that. But actually, it supposed to be a thriller film not only a part of a long long series. Simply the writer made it a little bit chaotic and because the movie was so slow the whole time he had to put all the explanations into the last five minutes - that's a shame.

Entertaining

[RobinCook70 · 8/10 · 26 May 2007]

I almost did not rent this movie due to the art on the DVD jacket, which is similar to the horror genre, but I gave it a look-see just in case. I'm glad I did.

Even though I had the baddie figured out early on in the movie, I found the concept of genetic memories with a different slant in a movie to be interesting. I wish more had been added into this subject regarding the powder and the Indians, which would have given this movie more of a smart flash.

Regardless, I did enjoy the performances of Zane, Margaret and Hopper. I was pleasantly surprised to see Zane with more meat on his bones and is becoming a more seasoned actor. Of course, from a female perspective, I certainly didn't turn away when he took his shirt off! He's still hot. I think that this threesome made a very good complimentary combination together, and would like to see other movies similarly cast.

The movie didn't really drag too much in my opinion as other comments made here. There are more visuals than explaining dialog/narrative, which were all very well done. If more dollars could have gone into this movie, it would have been a bigger box office seller. The talent was definitely there in the casting, directing, audio and visuals, but stops a wee short in lacking the extra substance, such as what I've mentioned ... something more about the genetic memory angle.

All in all, I liked this movie and recommend the rental fee, and enjoy some popcorn.

not a bad first effort

[jaybob · 7/10 · 6 June 2007]

Bennet Davlin both co-wrote & directed this semi-interesting, somewhat intriguing mystery drama. For a first effort it is not too bad, Its not too good either.

(note: a 7 rating in my book is in the fair to good range)

To its credit there are 3 semi-major stars heading this cast.

Billy Zane--- He still has a good looking body, He is a capable actor. Ann-Margaret, she has been a star for over 45 years & still is pleasing to the eye. also on hand is Dennis Hopper He has been around the sound stages since before GIANT that was 53 yrs ago.,He is still a fine actor. I always liked these 3 players, This is perhaps the reason I rented this film.

It is a 2005 movie & only released on DVD this past March (2 months ago). I do not think it had a theatre release.. This is really a B film worthy of a co-feature on a double bill.

The story is somewhat confusing, but still interesting, It is also a mystery & a mild horror film, To its credit IT IS NOT A GORE-FEST.

Interesting camera-work, with a good score, It runs a fast 98 minutes, however it still could have been a bit shorter.

I must mention 2 of the other players.

Tracy Helfer from TV (Battlestar Gallatica). She is pretty to look at & may be a good actress in time.

All films of this type have a comic relief character, who is the stars sidekick. His name is Terry Chen. A Chinese-American actor with a great smile & good comic timing, thankfully he is not a stereotype like they used to be, He plays a Doctor friend of our hero who happens to have a great comic wit. I want to see more films he is in.

Note this is not a really good movie, BUT its is not a bad one, I was not too surprised who the villain was.(note; I will say this it is not the first person you may think it is.)

Ratinss **1/2 (out of 4) 78 points (OUT of 100) IMDb 7 ( out of 100

Not like I remember

[amylynn-14001 · 3/10 · 9 May 2021]

I came across this movie in my mid teens and really enjoyed it, I owned it on DVD as part of a horror movie set of 4, over the years, my dvd got lost and I constantly thought of this movie and ( no pun intended) couldn't truly remember the story line just that I enjoyed it and it was very thrilling and suspenseful for my 14 year old eyes. Today, after many years searching for this movie again on DVD I found it at BAM, for 3.95. I snatched it up naturally and raced home to watch it. The memory of this movie came flooding back to me as I watched I started putting the pieces back together of how it went. As an adult watching this and a movie lover, I honestly can say that this movie is still thrilling and suspenseful but lacks a certain element of action, and depth. I felt like some parts were too short in the main concepts of it and kind of lost me a few times within the story, I understood what was going on in the film it just lacked some character and even though it's been at least 10 years since I've seen this film I was calling all of the twists and turns in it. If there would have been more information given quickly in the beginning of the film, and less talking, the story would have been a lot smoother and wouldn't have seemed to drag a bit. I give this movie 3 stars because it's one that I've liked and was really excited to see again, but from an adult viewpoint it just didn't seem as exciting to me as it did when I was younger.

memory

[kindigth · 31 October 2010]

Memory: unforgivably stupid plot, nonsensical action and motivations, terrible performances from everyone but Dennis Hopper, male "characters" are defined by alcohol and sex obsession + vague, cartoonish nobility, female characters have no attributes, music is cheap and overbearing, editing is distractingly shoddy, much of the action is literally the lead character reading exposition aloud to himself, and it's never at all thrilling. There's a very small amount of stupid fun in the film's preposterous conclusion, but all things considered, Memory isn't really worthy of complete sentences. -TK 10/31/10

Just couldn't catch my attention

[ohbebe-65844 · 3/10 · 14 May 2019]

Just couldn't catch my attention. Due to the choice of actors I couldn't find the movie believable and attentive. The whole time I kept thinking to myself "So, this is what happened to Cal when he got off the Titanic." This is one of those instances where an actor was so widely known for one movie that it makes him less believable in other movies.

Not for everybody

[ksdilauri · 3/10 · 28 January 2019]

It's interesting to read the reviews of 'Memory'. It seems that many people either loved it or hated it. I've traditionally been one to look for the good in something before the bad, but it was a tough gig to do that for this film. The initial draw---and the only reason I give this any stars at all---was the presence of Ann-Margret (always watchable, even if she were peddling dishwashing liquid) and Dennis Hopper (never, ever boring.) Plot twists are fine, but this one races in all directions, like Wile E. Coyote was after it----it's exhausting to try and keep up with, and 'coherent' isn't a word I'd use to describe the screenplay. It may be better appreciated by people with shorter attention spans.

Inconsistent despite a happy ending

[jordondave-28085 · 5/10 · 9 May 2023]

(2007) Memory MYSTERY THRILLER

Despite the happy ending, it's hard to recommend a movie for being incomplete. There's a reason why authors shouldn't be allowed to adapt their own books into movies for this is a prime example about what can happened to a premise that could've been interesting. The movie stars Billy Zane as Taylor Briggs who has just infected himself with some red powder, but it's really red sand. And he's also an expert on Alzheimer's because of his mother since he figures that it's hereditary. As a result of touching some red sand, he starts to somehow relive on a hallucination involving an abduction of a little girl during the year he was born which was back in 1971. And as a result of frequent dreams like it, he then asks his friend who's a neurologist for his help since he suspects that theirs a connection. Now, the revelations as well as the ideas are intriguing but the payoff is bland leaving viewers with more questions than it gets any answers such as how much involvement is the Dennis Hopper character. And what about the Billy Zane's character's health since it's labelled as toxic., like since when do hospitals discard toxic sand into regular garbage cans! You know, if this film was remade again, I would go and watch it since all it needs is a lot of patching up, but for now we are stuck with this mediocre effort.

Chemical Memories

[clarisd · 7/10 · 26 October 2013]

Seems they listen to Coast to Coast am. All the subjects, such as genetic memories,sitting with the dead, powders used for trances, serial killers, strange family connections. The customers of tribes that still live in south America. Well all of this and more is covered by C2Cam. I felt the tensions created, but I did guess that a woman was the killer. I also wondered if the artist was the child that escaped. Others have given this a bad review. I would ask them to research some of the actual work on many of the subjects raised in the film. I enjoyed the film. It was not rushed, the timing was good and the problem I had is the advert breaks, they came at the wrong moments.

Tedious and silly

[jtownsle · 3/10 · 12 February 2012]

If I rated films based solely on storyline, this would be a 1, but the competent acting and filming boost the rating. The high-profile cast made me presume the film would have a great story and would be a thrilling ride--who would doubt it, with Zane and Hopper as the male leads (I pictured the Phantom plus Speed, and throw in Helfer from Battlestar Galactica). At worst I assumed the complex intensity of Memento when I read about "flashbacks" and murder-mystery. However, at the halfway mark I had to double-check the film background to make sure it wasn't a Lifetime Channel movie of the week. There were a lot of chatty scenes where the characters make lame jokes and share pointless stories. The neuroscience references are, at the same time, too implausible and too banal to make this a good sci-fi, while the action scenes are too few, brief and dull to make this a good thriller. I hope this isn't a spoiler (since I didn't check the "spoiler" box for this review), but while you spend the first 20 minutes being drawn into a frame of "Alzheimer's researcher" who is "taking care of Alzheimer's loved one," making you think the story will do something with this strongly developed early thread, that thread suddenly disappears and is never mentioned again. Which is what should happen to this film...

DIFFERENT

[nogodnomasters · 6/10 · 19 May 2019]

With all these stars, how could you not love this movie? The movie plot was different. Let us supposed you got infected by a chemical which allowed you to relive your parent's memories from before you were born and then let's suppose the parent is a serial child abductor and killer. Toss in a girlfriend and you got our story.

I would like to point out if you have someone else's memory you should not be seeing yourself as a third person, nor should you be seeing what that other person does not see. That makes simple logical sense which was forgotten by the film makers. Once we get a glimpse of this memory we become more interested in the memory then the boring life of our lead actor.

I got bored with the story waiting for the guy to have another memory flash. The memory flashes were too far apart in the beginning to hold my attention.

A story with a twist -

[jscanlan22 · 8/10 · 12 June 2007]

For a first time director / producer / writer team this is not a bad movie. It has its rough parts, it is not a polished as a production from a major studio or development group. But that is some of its charm.

The story holds together throughout the movie and builds to a climax and letdown. The DVD extra features explain how long the process was to make this movie. The writer director story boarded the whole thing. The production values are very high for their budget. They shot what they needed and did not waste much time on extra footage.

The plot twist at the end was somewhat confusing because of all the visuals that you had to catch to understand that the killer was not his father but his mother, and the person he thought was his mother was not. Once those concepts fall into place the ending becomes clear. This movie needs to be seen a couple of times to catch the subtle clues.

This is not guerrilla film making - with a single set and some of the filming done on the cuff. A good example semi-guerrilla film making is the film by Darren Aronofsky in 2000 "Requium for a Dream": that cost $4.5 million 5 years ago. Aronofskys' first non-student movie was Pi in 1998. It was done in black and white for $60k in 1998.

An interesting start of a career, lets see what they can bring us in the future.

An average thriller.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 18 October 2021]

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.

Great! Great! Great!

[cmfontenot1 · 10/10 · 3 March 2007]

This movie was a great first offering from a first time director.

The casting may not have been spectacular, but Billy Zane was very believe as a sympathetic lead character. Dennis Hopper and Ann-Margaret provided a high level of class and coolness to their characters.

Using genetic memories as a basis for a high concept thriller is fresh and interesting.

Dealing with the pain of his Alzhiemer's afflicted mother, Taylor Briggs (Billy Zane) is a genetic researcher in desperate search for a cure. Through his research, he stumbles across a mysterious powder from the Amazon rain forest. This powder can unleash the memories of your ancestors. After accidentally ingesting the powder, Taylor relives the memories of his dead father, memories that frighten him, it appears that his father was a serial killer. Taylor uses the clues from his memories to figure out who he really is as well as save the lives of those effected by his father's murderous ways.

I love this type of movie, and I loved this one, and would highly recommend it. Anyone who disagrees is just smoking rope.

Very well made.... 5 stars

[natejf1-1 · 10/10 · 11 July 2007]

This was a very, very good movie! I thought the dialog was completely realistic and the reactions of the characters to the events as they unfolded were very believable. A great job of storytelling and a great story!!! One thing I really liked was that the background music was just that, BACKGROUND! So many films today have music that so over powers the spoken lines that they cannot be understood. I watched this for the first time on DVD and also enjoyed the "Making of" segment of the special features. Davlin and Badalucco are fantastic storytellers and movie makers. This is a don't miss movie as will be any movie either of these men are involved with. I do wish that the DVD had closed captioning