{image1} Is it wrong to kill bad people? People who, if alive, would continue to live corrupt, violent and crime-ridden lives at the expense of society? Most would say it depends on which side of the law does the killing. If the police do it, it's called justice, but should a badge stand in the way of justice?
Angelo Ledda, a hitman with a heart, doesn't think so, and quite frankly, he doesn't care who disagrees with him.
Though he's been wrapped up in the mafia as a hitman for what seems like decades, the aging Ledda (Jan Decleir) decides he has done his last "job" when he is assigned to kill a 12-year-old girl in Belgium. Triggered perhaps by his own haunting memories of abuse as a child, he refuses to harm the girl and becomes determined to find out who ordered her death.
Meanwhile, his boss (Patrick Descamps) finishes the job and then tries to eliminate Ledda, on the grounds that he has betrayed him. Furious about the attempt on his life and somehow finally recognizing the harrowing reality of this culture of organized crime, Ledda embarks on an assassination tour of Antwerp in hopes of killing his way to the source of it all, the Minister of State Baron de Haeck (Jo De Meyere).
For the most part, he works like a pro, but with director Erik Van Looy's inclusion of dramatic flashback sequences inferring delirium and confusion and Ledda's frequent reference to a jar of little white pills, we find out that our leading man is not just getting old and tired, he's in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Similar to tactics used by other vengeful murderers losing track of their memories (think Guy Pearce's Leonard Shelby in "Memento"), Ledda is forced to write everything from his hotel room number to his next target's name on his forearm as to remember what he's doing.
Acknowledging his limitations, he seeks the assistance of two detective partners, the trusting and mysterious Eric Vincke (Koen De Bouw), who seems to sympathize with Ledda, and the hothead and handsome Freddy Verstuyft (Werner De Smedt), who would have already shot him if his partner weren't standing in the way.
Introducing Vincke's compassion as a cop cleverly explores the gray area that exists in the relationships between law enforcers and lawbreakers, adding to the film's subplot of people blurring the boundaries of their societal roles. Should Vincke not trust Ledda just because he's committed crime? Can killers still have a heart?
Portrayed as a hitman turned vigilante of sorts, Ledda comes to represent a man near the end of his rope who desperately wishes to right so many of the wrongs he has witnessed in his life. And to Van Looy's credit, despite Ledda's spontaneous killing, your sympathies stay with him for the duration of this compelling, murder mystery-esque thriller.
"The Memory of a Killer" opens Friday, Sept. 30 at Landmark's Downer Theatre.
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
