The Memory of a Killer Poster

The Memory of a Killer (2003)

Action | Drama 
Rayting:   7.4/10 9.5K votes
Country: Belgium
Language: Dutch | French
Release date: 15 April 2004

Vincke and Verstuyft are the best detectives of the Antwerp police department. They are confronted with the murder on a leading executive and put all their effort to catch the murderer.

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janos451 29 August 2005

Unlike "Memento," the 2003 Belgian film "Memory of a Killer" is not about a struggle with failing memory, even if the original title was "The Alzheimer Affair" - not a potential box-office draw. The main character, Ledda (played with self-effacing brilliance by Jan Decleir), does have the onset of Alzheimer's, and he writes names of his future victims on his arm, but if you took that element away, the story would remain virtually the same.

Initially, that story is about an international mafia operation in Antwerp, including child prostitution on its agenda. Decleir's character - an aging, but impressively professional killer, who is flesh-and-blood real, far from the typical Hollywood caricature - runs up against an order to kill a 13-year-old girl. In crime syndicates, assignments are not optional, so Ledda is now pitched against his former colleagues and bosses, in a desperate run for survival.

It is at that point the film's real nature emerges, a variation on "The Fugitive," a lone man against overwhelming forces, but with a unique twist: Ledda is no hero, in fact he is a super-villain, and yet director Erik Van Looy's work of honesty and integrity, and Decleir's performance put the audience squarely in the killer's corner.

The reason: he is fighting not only for survival, but against a major collusion between crime bosses and government officials, making the work of the honest police official Vincke (played by Koen De Bouw) quite impossible.

It is the reluctant and indirect collaboration between Ledda and Vincke, two individuals - a cop and a killer - against a mighty machine, that gives "Memory of a Killer" its focus and zing.

There is something very puzzling about the presentation of this film. Anyone with even a passing exposure to world news may well remember that there was a huge scandal in Belgium just a few years ago over exactly the same scenario: child prostitution and a government cover-up that went up to the highest ranks, busted open finally by a few honest cops (and even an intervention from the king). And yet, in all the studio literature, there isn't a single mention of a possible connection, and when specifically asked, a spokesperson for US presenter Sony said the film "has no relationship whatsoever to the Belgian scandal." Strange, indeed.

rooprect 7 February 2012

Fmovies: If, like me, you don't know what country "Flemish cinema" refers to, then read on. Yeah, I'm one of those dimwits like Joey on Friends when they tell him Dutch people live in the Netherlands, and he says "no, that's where Peter Pan came from." Suffice it to say this was the first Belgian film I've ever seen, and I was really impressed. It's stylish, polished, has a lush musical score, and features a lot of actors who seem really human. Even the minor roles were well played.

I'm not usually a fan of crime thrillers, but this one drew me in with its interesting premise: a hero who's losing his memory. In that respect, reminded me of the excellent Tom Tykwer film "Winter Sleepers" (1997), except this film is driven by a faster, more action-oriented plot and pace.

There's a lot going on here. Just when you think it's over, a new drama comes into the mix, making it unpredictable until the end. The director effectively used a lot of suspense tricks which will make you say "aha, you got me!" For example (though this was not used in this movie), a cat might jump out at the perfect moment to give your heart a little leap. In hindsight it's silly, but you can't deny it works. So bear in mind, this is definitely a movie for people who enjoy being taken for a ride. In the same vein, I think the director intentionally uses some standard clichés, almost in a playful way. If you approach this movie with the idea of having a fun time, you won't be disappointed.

Final note: I think it helps to be a little familiar with Belgian culture, which I'm not. I could tell the characters switch languages between different variations of Dutch/Flemish, French, and snippets of English, and I think that's significant. Some of the settings are breathtaking, and I found myself saying "wow, that place is cool! I wonder where that is". In all, this is a film that Belgium can be very proud of, and I hope to see more like it in the future.

gradyharp 28 February 2006

'De Zaak Alzheimer' or 'The Alzheimer Case' or the US titled 'The Memory of a Killer' is a stunningly well written, directed, acted, and photographed film from Belgium. Though termed by director Erik Van Looy as a 'police thriller', this gripping drama is so much more: this is the story of organized crime, of the men and women who fight crime, and of a man afflicted with progressive Alzheimer's Disease which alters his entire view of his life of crime. It is a police thriller with a soul and as such is one of the finest films of this genre this viewer has ever seen.

Angelo Ledda (the enormously gifted Jan Decleir) is a hit man sent to Antwerp to eliminate some important 'clients'. He is hesitant to take on the job as he understands that his mind is being slowly altered by the effects of Alzheimer's disease. But go he must and after his first successful 'kill', he is ordered to kill a young girl, an order he cannot follow, and an order, which with his failing memory and abilities acknowledged, he decides to turn on his employers and rid the world of those big crime magnates. The Flemish police, lead by two superb minds - Vincke (Koen De Bouw) and Verstuyft (Werner De Smedt) - follow the path of corpses that lay in Ledda's wake of destroying the important heads of crime in Antwerp. Ledda becomes strangely connected and committed to the two police, in reality helping them by remote stance do their job, but the movie is a cat and mouse chase between the police and Ledda and one whose ending, though somewhat predictable, manages to tear at the heart of the audience as the unwinding of Ledda's mind by Alzheimer's disease results in a metamorphosis of a killer's mentality to that of a quasi-hero.

Brilliantly photographed by Danny Elsen and accompanied by an electrifying musical score by Stephen Warbeck THE MEMORY OF A KILLER is a taut, tense, unnerving, and fascinating tale told to perfection by Carl Joos' screenplay based on Jef Geeraerts' novel. There isn't a weak link here - every actor is superb and the performance by Jan Decleir is the stuff of which legends are made. Recommended without reservation. In Dutch and French and Flemish with English subtitles. Grady Harp

PieterjanDJ 9 October 2003

The Memory of a Killer fmovies. If the director Eric Van Looy says he's a fan of Michael Mann, we can definitely see it in this movie. And this is meant in a good way. The action is nicely countered by conversations and humor. Flashy but clear, emotional but not pathetic. Great color palette. A very good balance between all elements which should be in every quality movie. Actors doing a fantastic job, not the stereotype cops, not the stereotype serial killer, but enjoyable, human roles. A story which is well built, has suspense and is keeping you watching the whole film without becoming bored even ones.

After great Belgian drama movies, we encounter now also a great Belgian action movie. I sincerely hope the Belgian movie industry keeps coming with more of this. This movie competes with any action movie made in Hollywood. And I am convinced people are waiting for more of this, just like I am.

philip_vanderveken 30 December 2004

I don't know what the problem is with Belgium. For some reason or another almost no-one seems to make movies over here. If you compare it to Spain or France (just to name two other European countries) the number of movies made over here really is awfully low. The directors always complain that they don't have the money to make big productions, that the country is too small for real success... Nonsense, a good movie doesn't have to cost all that much and can still have a lot of success as De Zaak Alzheimer (or the Alzheimer Case for the people who don't speak Dutch) proved.

The movie is based on a novel written by Jef Geeraerts, one of Belgium's best writers when it comes to crime novels. Having read several of his books, I can assure you that the man is a good observer who really knows what he's talking about. For instance the hatred and envy between the different police forces isn't just made up by the writer. Every Belgian can assure you that it is really a big problem sometimes.

The story is about a professional hit-man who suffers from Alzheimer's disease. He isn't able to remember any details, so he writes everything down on his arm. When he's hired to kill a 12 year old girl who was the victim of pedophiles, he doesn't do his job, but goes after the bad guys.

If a Spanish or French director made this movie, this would have been a huge success all over the world. Now the movie went by rather unnoticed. OK, here it was a huge success, but I'm sure that most people in other countries haven't heard of it before. Still this may well be called one of the best movies in Belgian history. It's true that it has a big American feeling, but that didn't bother me once and I heard that Hollywood is planning a remake of this movie, so Van Looy must have done something right. I give it an 8,5/10.

Travis_Bickle01 29 March 2005

I was surprised to read several negative comments on this site about "De Zaak Alzheimer". Some people seem to think that the movie wasn't worth the hype, but I disagree with this. I think this is the best Belgian cop thriller ever made. The story (based on the novel of Jef Geeraerts) is brilliantly written and the cast is outstanding. Our best Belgian actors give top performances. Jan Decleir, Koen De Bouw, Werner De Smedt and Jo De Meyere are wonderful.

When I would see an American movie who is similar to "De Zaak Alzheimer", I'd probably give it 8/10. What so special about "De Zaak Alzheimer"? It is a Belgian production, made with a limited budget and a cast and crew who doesn't have that much experience in making cop thrillers in an American style. So I'm convinced the movie is really worth the hype. Also that fact that the movie was nominated and won several awards in other countries, proves Erik Van Looy really made a good impression with his movie. I also heard they're negotiating for an American adaptation of the book, what also proves the value of the movie and the book.

A sequel? No, not a sequel but an adaptation of another book of Jef Geeraerts would be suitable. Erik Van Looy is also planning on doing this, but I read it is possible we will have to wait several years for this adaptation because the expectations will be high and Van Looy of course doesn't want to disappoint the audience.

To conclude my comment I can only repeat the fact that "De Zaak Alzheimer" is a great movie and I can't hardly wait to see the American adaptation (they talked about Morgan Freeman for one of the leading roles) and the next adaptation of a Jef Geeraerts-novel by Erik Van Looy.

9/10

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