Unforgettable - Im Augenblick des Todes

John Dahl's Unforgettable plays around with a trippy high concept premise in which people's memories can be accessed by using an experimental, controversial drug. Ray Liotta plays the troubled Doctor whose wife has been recently murdered. He desperately reaches out to the scientist (Linda Fiorentino) who synthesized the compound, and the two set out to use it unofficially, in order to retain his wife's dying moments, see them for himself and establish who her killer is. The serum takes its toll on his already stressed mind though, and soon he's questioning his own reality, his trust levels towards those around him dropping considerably. Director Dahl is beyond proficient when it comes to thrillers, usually taking on crime pieces with a noirish vibe. Here he tries his hand at science fiction, coexisting with a classic whodunit narrative, and the result is quite good. Liotta relies on the information that his detective friend (Peter Coyote) gives him, and combines it with the knowledge he absorbs from his deceased wife's brain, beginning to piece the puzzle together. There's also a troublesome detective played by Christopher Mcdonald he must deal with, and a violent thug (Kim Coates) involved as well. Liotta is usually tough, capable and would normally be found playing one of the two cops, but the doctor on the run without a lot of tactical skill suits him and allows the guy some work other than just cops or psychos. Watch for work from David Paymer, Kim Cattrall, William B. Davis, Callum Keith Rennie and Garwin Sanford as well. The premise may be too far-fetched for some folks, but for others with imagination it'll be a blast. It's also fairly violent and graphic, which may seem gratuitous for such a cerebral outing, but I find it gives it a stylistic edge and raises the stakes, just like Total Recall. Great flick. Not Total Recall, I mean this one. Well Total Recall too, obviously. Yeesh.

The best points of this sci-fi/mystery/thriller, I thought, were: 1 - very good suspense; 2 - a different-angle story; and 3 - an involving "whodunit" story; 4 - and a fast- moving for a two-hour film.

Another big plus: John Dahl directed this, and in his prime. This movie came on the heels of Kill Me Again, Red Rock West and The Last Seduction.....all of them very entertaining films.

This would be best for the first-time viewer, but I still have enjoyed it the three times I've seen it. I just wait about 4-5 years between viewings so as not to remember everything. One thing unusual: Linda Fiorentino actually plays a nice lady! Usually, she's brutal! Ray Liotta, Peter Coyote, Christopher McDonald and David Paymer all provide good male performances with Liotta playing the central character.

Be warned that this story is a bit unbelievable. It's pretty far out, and it can get on the gory side, but it's different and will keep your attention.

Let me preface this review by saying this movie started off great with a great original idea. In fact the movie treaded on a good path besides a few stumbles here and there.

The movie is about a doctor, Doctor Krane (Ray Liotta), whose wife was murdered. The case was never solved although he was tried for the crime but acquitted. Later he comes across another doctor, Dr. Martha Briggs (Linda Fiorentino), who has a highly experimental drug that can transfer one person's memories to another person.

Well, Dr. Krane uses this drug to try to track down his wife's killer. At first the movie was rolling along fine, in fact is was down right captivating. But somewhere along the way it got predictable and then they didn't know how to end it. And when I say predictable, I mean reeeeally predictable.

This movie could have done itself justice by not being as long as it was and by not making the culprit so obvious. It made out to be just an average movie after all.

I do not know why people tend to rate this film low. Of course, I am slightly prejudiced as i always thought that Ray Liotta may be a cousin until I found out he was adopted. That doesn't take away the quality of his acting, especially in this film.

He really has to lay it on thick as he takes the mind of others through an experimental drug developed by Dr. Martha Briggs (Linda Fiorentino) in an effort to find out who killed his wife (Stellina Rusich).

Fiorentino (Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) does a really good job as the research scientist who helps him through his ordeal.

The film had other favorites: Kim Cattrall and Peter Coyote, who added to the mystery and suspense.

I really like Liotta for his range and you could do a lot worse than spend two hours with him as he catches a killer.

I watched this film on Vudu on a whim about a month ago, I was looking for mysteries or thrillers and I stumbled upon this film somehow, and I have not been able to forget it since. It sounded weird and out there(it is), it seemed like it would be way outside the mainstream thematically and tone-wise as a film (which it is), and I tend to enjoy movies that are a bit out on a limb and not your every day fair, that stretch the boundaries of storytelling. This has a linear plot line, but much of the details of things are revealed in a very unconventional fashion, and in a non-linear way without being confusing, which is a feat in and of itself.

This is not a perfect film, but it is also a very memorable one. I also would challenge the statement of others that the length of this film is the problem and that the second half of the film falls apart. I actually found the second half of the film quite a bit more compelling than the first half, and things really picked up at the half way mark, as we begin to understand more about the night David's wife dies. The whole film is built around this premise, if it intrigues you, watch it, if it doesn't, don't

I loved the idea of the drug and experiencing other's memories, it is still a very unique idea, and the way that he has to do it makes it very hard, it is not just simply taking a pill either.

If you are off-put by the idea of a man using an untested drug that induces the memories of other people for the purpose of solving a the murder of his wife(that is not a spoiler, it's in the description) framed as a bit of neo-noir with sci-fi elements and very much a murder mystery, walk on. I am shocked that anyone walking in to this film would be surprised by the weirdness of this film given it's unusual premise.

The main negatives that keep this from a full 10 stars is somewhat cheap feel at times. First, the cinematography and lighting does very well in setting the tone in the beginning, and in the end, but in other middle parts of the film, it is it's weakest least because of a cheap look, that is the best way to describe it. The second thing is that in some sections the tone is slightly confusing due to some hammy acting from particularly person who feels grossly out of place in this film, Christopher McDonald, who feels very out of place as Steward.

Everyone else does a great job in the acting department, especially Ray Liotta, Peter Coyote, and Kim Coats (he is surprisingly sinister and yet very human at times), and actually McDonald isn't bad, I am just guessing he got this crossed with "Happy Gilmore" since they were filmed around the same time, and his performance is quite hammy, though I suppose it does provide a slight reprieve from the ultra-serious tone of the film. There two things, unfortunately, give the film a somewhat uneven tone, especially in the middle, but it is not bad enough that it hurts the film overall.

There are shades of this film in other later films, I watched "Frequency" for one is very similar in many ways, I cannot say what they are without a spoiler though. Even Cronenberg's "eXiStenz" seems to use very similar ideas and tone. This is not to say if you like those films, you will enjoy this, as this film is not much like either of them in terms of the actual films, they just have similar elements.

I did enjoy the fact that Ray Liotta is not cast as the villain for a change. This film is a heck of a lot better than another Ray Liotta film where he generally plays a good guy, which for me, was middling and kind of boring for the most part. Other than these two films and "Field of Dreams" or even "Goodfellas" it is very hard to think of a film where Ray Liotta plays a good guy, and after watching this film especially, it is very clear he is more than capable of it. Although, even though David is a good guy, he does a lot of questionable things, and there are consequences to his actions, which makes this a very believable role for Liotta.

The other actors, for the most part do an admirable job, Peter Coyote is very much worth noting, and was far and away the best performance outside Liotta's, even if the rest of the cast are generally very good actors, they are just not given enough to work with, as the central focus is really on David's hunt for his wife's killer.

This is a very unique film, and if you enjoy off-beat or unusual films, then you will enjoy this. I was engrossed the entire time, except in the little bits with Christopher McDonald, that through the vibe of the whole film off a bit, not enough to ruin the film.. It is somewhat violent, and it is a fairly tense film in parts, it is rated R for a reason.

God Bless ~Amy