Customer Reviews

Unforgettable [VHS]

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Helmed by John Dahl, this is a little known sci-fi thriller that is surprisingly entertaining. It has a stable of good performers, mainly Ray Liotta, Peter Coyote & Linda Fiorentino and a fast-paced [though a bit hard to swallow] plot. Ray Liotta plays a coroner who is acquitted of killing his wife, but is bent on discovering who the real killer is. He attends a talk given by Linda Fiorentino, who plays a scientist that is experimenting with memory retrieval [extracted cerebral fluid].

The rest of the movie is a thrill ride as Ray Liotta tries to use the extracted cerebral fluid obtained from his dead wife's body, and a couple of other people to help him discover the real murderer. He plays the part convincingly and so does Linda Fiorentino as the brainy, reticent scientist [amazing given some of her other sexy & provocative roles such as in the Last Seduction]. There is no real sex in this movie, but the plot is riveting nonetheless, as we try to figure out who the real perpetrator is.

All in all, this is an entertaining thriller with a sci-fi undertone, and is a worthwhile addition to the genre.

The best points of this sci-fi/mystery/thriller were: 1 - very good suspense; 2 - a different-angle story; 3 - an involving "whodunit;" 4 - and a fast- moving 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. One thing unusual: Linda Fiorentino actually plays a nice lady! 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.

John Dahl should smash the box-office one of these days because he truely deserves it. Unforgettable is his best work effort, a gripping suspensefiul script supported by an excellent cast and a director who knows how to keep you on the edge of your sofa. The Dolby Digital track is very dynamic and does justice to Christopher Young's remarkable score. This widescreen edition is not anamorphic, as marked on the back cover, but the image is sharp.

Once you get past the implausibility of the plot (mainly that the drug culled from Cerebral spinal fluid could do what occurs in this movie), you have a nervewrackingly good thriller. Ray Liotta, one of our most underappreciated actors, stars as a medical examiner who was cleared of murdering his wife by a technicality. In investigating a horrifying killing spree at a pharmacy, Ray thinks the killer is the same one who murdered his wife. He goes out on a date and meets Linda Fiorentino (quite good in a laconic way), who has developed a serum which allows memory transfer between rats. But, it is dangerous, and has not been tried on humans. Liotta is so empassioned with finding his wife's murderer, he steals the drug and uses it, and it does work, but without damage to his heart. From heron, Liotta finds out that Kim Coates (as a seedy drug dealer) is the one who did the pharmacy killing, and in flashbacks, he sees Coates attacking his wife. But, is he the true culprit? Many surprising plot twists evolve, and it is a great film. Featured are Peter Coyote, as Liotta's friend, a police detective; "Sex and the City's" Kim Cattrall has a small role as Liotta's sister in law who has custody of his girls; David Paymer plays Liotta's friend and partner; and Christopher McDonald is a seedy, sleazy cop who thinks Liotta did kill the wife.
John Dahl directs with assuredness and the rainy Seattle setting is perfect.
An unknown gem.

I noticed right off the bat that only 7 people reviewed this movie one Amazon. Wow. While this movie has its share of flaws and the ending is a little weak, it still was a fun ride for me. Out of the many thrillers out there, this isn't in the top bunch to see at all but it definitely is up there for originality. Now, I'm not going to get into if it was realistic or not because I don't even know but as for the movie, it's a good thriller worth a rent.

The movie's about a doctor whose wife is murdered. Following this event, he is suspected of murder, relieved of his charges, loses his children to his step sister but that's not even the worst...the killer isn't found. This doctor is very troubled by this until he meets a promissing doctor working on a drug that could allow one to use the blood of a dead individual to see what they saw. Guess what. He uses it to see what his wife saw and figure out who killed his wife.

The movie does has some problems but is a good rental and the flashback scenes are well made. Ray Liotta does a nice job in leading a weak cast somehow to success.

It is a pleasure to watch him act and how he responds to each scene, and how he responds to everthing around him and how he wants the scene to be understood and the emotions he wants the viewer to feel....this is a good movie if you know what you're looking at.

Director John Dahl has been in the world of television the past decade - and movie audiences have been the much poorer for it. Not surprisingly, I'm a fan of many tv series in his resumé. This is only one of a handful of feature films he helmed and 'Unforgettable' makes for a well-paced, engaging and taut thriller.

In this production Ray Liotta plays Dr. David Krane, chief medical examiner for Seattle. He's a man haunted by many ghosts, but one in particular has been his bloody albatross - he was once suspected of murdering his wife. In fact, many of his colleagues and other law enforcement personnel still believe it. His murder trial ended due to a rookie cop mistake, a legal loophole voided his indictment and he walked away on a technically, a free man.

But since he wasn't exonerated, even the civil courts believe he's actually guilty - his children have been taken from him and legal custody given to his wife's sister as their permanent guardian.

So he lives his life under the constant unyielding shadow of doubt, ignoring whispered comments and sideway stares.

Until one day he goes to a medical fundraiser where a researcher, Fiorentino's character Dr. Martha Briggs, is investigating the idea of memory transference. Her research suggests that extremely intense memories are captured and carried throughout a person's life, held in dormant state, ready for a biochemical jolt - and that such memories can be transferred to another biologically compatible individual. Almost everyone at the party listens with polite glassy eyed stares, but not David. He's utterly fascinated. Why? Because he knows that his wife's spinal cord fluid still exists, and in that residual evidence might reveal the identity of the real murderer.

But what begins as a search for justice and redemption suddenly spirals out of control as David realizes that there was, and still is, much more to his wife's murder than a random act of violence. And can he handle what really happened that rain-soaked night as he lay passed out drunk not thirty feet from her body?

In addition to the clever story, what makes this such a good film is there's surprising strong chemistry between the film's stars, Ray Liotta and Linda Fiorentino. Better than one would expect given their respective personalities. Again, you sense the hand of Director Dahl finding and revealing in his players the excellence of their skills. What so many directors lack: The ability to craft and work with the talent; to bring out the very best out of the actors and blend their collective talents, creating something new and unexpected. To me, that's one of the definitions of a great director.

Admittedly, it's filled with well-trod and cliche'-ridden caricatures making up the police force and procedures - cigar chomping cops, the moustached loudmouth brute who is really a nice guy, the snide food-munching associate medical examiner, etc. But that's a minor complaint in a much larger and enjoyable production.

I love that there's more than a few solid red herrings and multiple believable suspects to choose from, allowing for a perfectly measured blend of mystery and mayhem. Making even a seasoned movie fan second-guess the identity of the true murderer and the real reason behind his wife's death.

Best kept secret in the dvd world is this film here. One of the best film noir's of the century. A great mystery with lots of fun and subtle humor.

Believe it or not this is a Drama/Sci-Fi movie. Husband loses wife to a murderer, is accused of the crime. He stumbles onto a process that may help him to figure out who the murderer is. It compromises his own health along the way. I recommend it. Josie

Wow, this movie is one of the best I have ever seen, after you watch it just imgine what life could like if this was technology was possible. YOu will have to pay attention to the little things in the movie, as the pieces all come together in the end of the movie.