An in-depth exclusive interview with director MARTIN CAMPBELL discussing his latest film, MEMORY.
You may not know his name, but you certainly know his work as Martin Campbell is the man behind James Bond films Casino Royale and Goldeneye, as well as Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson, Beyond Borders with Angelina Jolie, Vertical Limit with Scott Glenn and Bill Paxton, and The Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds, just to name a few. A master with action, Martin’s strong suit is never losing sight of the story and staying true to it and the characters, building the action around that.
And that’s just what he does with MEMORY. He builds action and set pieces around the story and the characters, particularly the character of Alex Lewis, played by Liam Neeson.
MEMORY is the story of Alex Lewis, an expert assassin with a reputation for discreet precision. He is the best at what he does, or at least he thinks he still is. His memory is faltering and he starts to question every action, second-guessing himself at every turn. But the one thing that Lewis never loses sight of is his own moral compass. Yes, he must hunt down and kill people for a living, but they are always “bad” people. He does not take the lives of innocents. And whatever else he may be unsure of with his current mental state, he is unwavering on that. He does not kill innocents or children. That puts him in a precarious situation as he will not violate his own code in this final job. Forced to hunt down and kill those who now want to kill him before they or FBI agent Vincent Serra do, Lewis is playing a cat and mouse game with stakes that have never been higher.
Directed by MARTIN CAMPBELL with script by Dario Scardapane based on the book by Jeff Geeraerts and the film De zaak Alzheimer by Carl Joos and Erik Van Looy, MEMORY stars Liam Neeson as Alex Lewis, a role tailor-made for him at this stage of his career. Joining Neeson are Guy Pearce, Harold Torres, Taj Atwal, Ray Stevenson, and Monica Bellucci.
Speaking with MARTIN CAMPBELL is pure joy. His experience and knowledge is always on display both on screen and in conversation. His command of cinematic storytelling is immense, as is his skill with visual grammar melding with story and performance. But if there is one lesson that filmmakers can learn from Martin, it’s preparation; pre-planning every shot within every scene. “It’s all planned very carefully and thought about.”
Working with cinematographer David Tattersall with whom Martin has done more than a few films, the visuals are crisp, emotionally dynamic, yet subtly nuanced in quieter moments with lighting playing a big part in setting the ambient tone for various characters and situations. Color also comes into play. Notably, as with many of Martin’s films, action is kept at a distance so that we can see the choreography unfold as opposed to the rapid blurring of arms, legs, and faces, which so often happens with action.
But the key to MEMORY is the authenticity and sensitivity to Alzheimer’s and Neeson’s performance. Both Martin and Neeson did extensive research on Alzheimer’s which Martin incorporated into his plot points and thematic set-ups while Neeson captures the true essence of a man going down that heartbreaking rabbit hole. The complexity of Lewis and the melodrama is what drives the story with the action as an attendant surrounding result. Completing the story is a superlative cast, each of whom serves to contrast Neeson’s Lewis. Performances are impeccable, most notably from Guy Pearce, Harold Torres, and the “pizzazz” of Monica Bellucci.
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 04/14/2022
