Unforgettable

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.

I was really surprised at the quality of this thriller. Ray Liotta stars. Why didn't I ever hear about it? What a thrilling surprise. Try it if you like sci-fi new-formula medical stuff that requires intelligent imagination. Lots of twists and turns. Buy the premise and you'll love the movie.

This roller coaster of a thriller is a powerful assault on the viewer's nerves. Ray Liotta is the puzzled hero who was acquitted of killing his wife but has no idea who really did it. Liotta, here in a sympathetic role, has kind eyes and likes kids, so is far from being the villain he sometimes plays. I am somewhat puzzled by the actress Jenafor Ryane, who plays Liotta's sister-in-law in this film and has the custody of his children. Am I going mad? Or is she really Jenny Franks aka Jenny Anderson aka Jenny Price? After all, IMDb has no biographical information about her at all. Does Jenafor Ryane exist? The question is: Who Framed Jenafor Rabbit? Or is that too sci fi a question? Linda Fiorentino is the winsome love interest here, looking very cute as a scientist who has invented a new technique of transplanting selected memories of traumatic incidents (what are known to neuroscientists as 'amygdala memories' because they are laid down in the amygdala of the brain, though this is not mentioned in the film) by injections of neuro-transmitters, etc, and there are excellently directed and filmed sequences of a cat chasing mice through a maze, some taken at mouse level. There is a certain amount of technical banter about this to give it credibility. The serum having only been tested on rats in the lab, Liotta hastily injects himself in a madcap attempt to try to find out who murdered his wife. He survives, even though Linda Fiorentino keeps telling him it will damage his heart and kill him. The plot thickens, and thickens again, and thickens again. Peter Coyote is suitably ominous and creepy as a cop who knows more than he lets on. Kim Coates as a druggie villain is super-sleazy, rather terrifying. John Dahl directed this fast-paced and nail-biting film.

"Unforgettable" has a great first first hour, as Ray Liotta tracks down the man he believes to be his wife's killer. He is greatly aided by Linda Fiorentino, playing against type as a slightly mousy scientist. Linda has developed a drug which, when mixed with another person's spinal fluid, enable Liotta to experience key traumatic experiences in that other person's life.

Unfortunately "Unforgettable" becomes so convoluted in the second hour, a viewer may lose interest. I certainly did, though stuck it out for the fairly predictable conclusion.

I give "Unforgettable" a "6".

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.