Unforgettable (1996)

An under-rated sci-fi thriller!

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.

October 2, 2007

Another Entertaining Dahl-Directed Thriller

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.
September 20, 2007

Forgettable movie....unforgettable plot

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. October 11, 2005

MEMORABLE

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. April 25, 2004

FIRST RATE THRILLER

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. June 8, 2002

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