Rating of
2.5/4
Film Noir Lite with a Dash of Nolan
Chris Kavan - wrote on 09/03/21
Reminiscence is film-noir wannabe - a detective tale set through memories - and despite a solid cast, can't quite find its rhythm and ultimately feels too hollow both in terms of story and characters.
Director Lisa Joy is best known for her work on Westworld and seems have brought some familiar faces along as both Thandiwe Newton and Angela Sarafyan have roles. She also tries to bring that Westworld feel to the film, though the translation doesn't quite works as well in this shorter format.
Our story, as it is, takes place in a future where the waters have risen and the heat is on. This means people sleep all day and get things done at night - and also get everywhere via boat for the most part. And memory has become a hot commodity for Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman) and his partner, Emily 'Watts' Sanders (Newton). Using Reminiscence, they can let people relive any memory they choose and, as he puts it, nostalgia never goes out of style. From spending time with a long-lost pet to reliving intimate moments, clients pay good money to remember a better time. Occasionally they even help the authorities, like prosecutor Avery Castillo (Natalie Martinez) who is trying to put together a case against notorious land baron Walter Sylvan (Brett Cullan) who seems to only be able to side-step the procedure due to his illness. Land Barons bought up dry land at rock bottom and sold it to unsuspecting people knowing full well the rising oceans would leave them high and dry (or wet ,if you will) and unrest has been rising - a boiling point is soon to come.
But all this is put on hold when Nick encounters Mae (Rebecca Ferguson), a woman simply looking for her keys but who seems to put a spell over him. Following her to a bar where she sings, he is enraptured and soon begins a relationship - and this is where the movie goes all Nolas as we realize Nick has actually been reliving his own memories - Mae has disappeared and he suspects foul play hoping something in his past will help him track her down. Emily, who never trusted Mae, tries to get him to stop as too much reminiscence can leave one brain damaged. Like so many other people, both Nick and Emily are veterans of a recent war - and while Mae turns to the bottle to help her cope, Nick has lost himself in Mae.
This is where things get overly complicated as the case against Cullen leads to a revelation about Mae that leads to a drug kingpin in New Orleans (a fun, over-the-top Daniel Wu hamming it up), a corrupt cop (Cliff Curtis) and a former client (Sarafyan) who holds her own secret - one that could topple Cullen's legacy. The film tries to throw so many things at you so fast - and tries to out-twist itself at every turn - that is feels more like a chore than entertainment as things wind down. Plus, while we are given hints and clues about the past - none of our characters ever feel fully developed enough.
The film feels like the turkey scene in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation - it looks so great on the outside but as soon as you try to dig in, you just get a lot of hot air. It's not for lack of trying, but it just never manages to quite come together.
