THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 25, 1996 TAG: 9602280578
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E8 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
THE BEST thing about ``Unforgettable,'' the new thriller, is Nat ``King'' Cole singing the title song - solo, without the obtrusive presence of his sing-along daughter.
Unfortunately, the soothing baladeering comes only over the end credits - after almost two hours of pretty ridiculous pandering.
The plot is absurd and it is played with no more commitment than it deserves.
Ray Liotta, usually associated with darkly handsome menace, plays Dr. David Krane, a medical examiner in Seattle who has been under heavy suspicion since the cold-blooded murder of his wife. He's released on a technicality, but everyone thinks he did it. In spite of this, he is still employed by the Seattle police.
Hope arrives in the form of Dr. Martha Briggs (Linda Fiorentino), who plays around with rats and memory transferrence. She has discovered that profound memories are stored in cerebral spinal fluid and the best memories are dead ones. In other words, Dr. Krane may inject himself with some of this kickapoo joy juice from his dead wife and experience her memories.
He steals the formula, injects himself, and jumps around feverishly as he experiences his wife's murder. Since it's so early in the film, it comes as no surprise that she didn't really see the person who killed her. This necessitates stretching the movie as he takes more of the formula.
Side effect for him: He's in danger of a heart attack from taking the stuff.
Side effect for us: an acute case of disbelief. One might well wonder how either of the leads got through medical school.
John Dahl, who directed, is getting his first big-time paycheck after making several little gems. He brought us the dark connivings of ``Red Rock West'' and the bad-girl flamboyance of Fiorentino in ``The Last Seduction.'' Those two films were logical and even suspenseful. Somehow, Dino De Laurentiis' money has made Dahl flip out.
Liotta works hard at trying to suggest a desperate man who'd risk a heart attack to identify his wife's killer. Fiorentino, who is good only when she's bad, has a shockingly nerdish and bland role. She just hangs around and berates the leading man about his heart troubles.
Shockingly for a film starring these two, there is no hint of romance. Seems a waste.
There are a good number of red herrings floating around but, at least, the movie names the real killer before fadeout. On that count, it doesn't cheat.
Set in Seattle, it was filmed in Vancouver - with such a dark, murky look that you may think your eyes are failing.
``Unforgettable'' is anything but. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MGM
David Krane (Ray Liotta, center) is led out of the police station by
Martha Briggs (Linda Fiorentino) and Detective Bressler (Peter
Coyote) in ``Unforgettable.''
Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``Unforgettable''
Cast: Ray Liotta, Linda Fiorentino, Peter Coyote, Christopher
McDonald, Kim Cattrall, David Paymer
Director: John Dahl
Screenplay: Bill Geddie
Music: Chistopher Young
MPAA rating: R (language, gruesome bodies)
Mal's rating: One 1/2 stars
Locations: Cinemark, Regal Greenbrier in Chesapeake; Janaf, Main
Gate in Norfolk; Kemps River, Lynnhaven Mall, Pembroke, Surf-n-Sand
in Virginia Beach.
by CNB