Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Unforgettable Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf September 1, 2015

By 1996, director John Dahl had developed a reputation for smart, stylish thrillers, guiding such pictures as “Red Rock West” and “The Last Seduction.” For his big studio debut, the helmer selected “Unforgettable,” a project (scripted by Bill Geddie) that played to his strengths, offering a tale of mystery and violence on a grander budget, opening up the cinematic possibilities of Dahl’s vision. Instead of a beautiful marriage of indie films sensibility and monetary opportunity, “Unforgettable,” after a decent start, sinks like a stone, quickly resembling hundreds of crudely managed mysteries that always seem to bite off more than they can chew. It’s a messy movie, but one that’s deceptively competent in its first hour, welcoming viewers into a semi-sci-fi playground of missing memories and near-misses.

Working as a medical examiner with the Seattle police, David (Ray Liotta) is particularly rattled by a case involving a fatal shooting at a convenience store, spotting a clue left behind that ties the murder to the brutal death of his wife -- a crime the cops and public still suspect him of committing. Hearing a presentation on an experimental memory drug perfected by scientist Martha (Linda Fiorentino), David becomes obsessed with the serum, eventually breaking into a lab and making himself the first human trial. Injecting a cocktail that includes essence from his late wife, David experiences her death at the hands of criminal Dutton (Kim Coates). Now aware of the killer and his whereabouts, David begins the hunt for justice, slowly losing his health and sanity as he samples more of the serum, with Martha tagging along for research purposes, eventually caught up in her partner’s hysteria.

“Unforgettable” is an earthbound thriller, but it features some lofty science in its story. The memory drug is a key component of the tale, permitting David to live a lost life for a brief moment, absorbing all pain and vision experienced by the deceased, allowing him a rare glimpse into crime scenes, including his own home, where his wife was beaten to death. There’s no reality to the magical serum, but Dahl does a successful job selling it as everyday business, with Martha the hesitant university scientist aware of side effects, which threaten David’s heart and mind, eroding his stamina as he inches toward answers. The memory drug gives “Unforgettable” eerie qualities, with Dahl selling injection sequences with distinct visual cues and dread, while the aftereffects haunt David’s everyday life, delivering a few sonic jolts to keep viewers on edge as he experiences visions of blunt violence, concerning everyone around him. Less believable is mid-1990s computer technology, which allows the Seattle police force to build sophisticated 3D renderings of suspects in mere moments, providing a perfect look at potential crooks. The memory drug is a more credible creation than the Pixar workstation they have at police headquarters.

The picture has dynamic momentum for the first hour, helped along by a credible performance from Liotta, who’s always best when absolutely fried with panic. The story carries through police procedural touches (visiting the morgue on multiple occasions) and a personal vendetta, watching David gather information on Dutton before going after the savage criminal. Initial injection and research sequences offer terrific tension, assisted by a driving score from Christopher Young, who helps Dahl reach the noirish influences he’s looking for. “Unforgettable” peaks at the midway point, following David as he catches up to Dutton, instigating a chase through city streets and into a local church that hits all the cheap highs the genre is known for, providing an exciting conclusion to the story. Unfortunately, there’s another hour left to “Unforgettable,” and it completely destroys the effort.

The second half of “Unforgettable” dissolves into a puddle of clichés, bad acting, logic holes, and crummy screenwriting, going from an odd but convincing thriller to a movie of the week, complete with a loony house-on-fire climax and an overly expository villain. It’s a crushing divide between the known and the unknown, and Dahl completely mangles the transition, giving in to laborious writing that serves up stale red herrings and teases Martha’s romantic interest in David, which doesn’t make any sense. “Unforgettable” becomes borderline unwatchable as a decent tale of paranoia is whittled down to pure predictability.

Unforgettable Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation carries the visual style of "Unforgettable" comfortably, working with soft cinematography that doesn't always welcome sharpness. Details remain, with adequate facial particulars to help understand the wear and tear on the characters, with Liotta providing illness that's defined here. Set decoration and gruesome crime scene visits also carry texture, and street distances are secured. Colors are passable, with primaries intact, exploring blood reds and medical office paint jobs that favor green, while more golden sights pertaining to memory visits are offered. Delineation is adequate, never entirely losing frame information. Source shows a few blips of debris, but no overt damage. Some minor banding is detected.

Unforgettable Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix is surprisingly robust, taking the challenge of a thriller seriously with deep listening experience. Dialogue exchanges are fresh and secure, with dramatic intensity never hitting uncomfortable highs or muddy lows. Surrounds are active and engaged, with some interesting panning effects on overhead helicopters, while incidents with rain and fire provide a circular hold. Scoring is sharp and instrumentation is convincing, driving the mystery with confidence, pushed out repeatedly to set the mood. Atmospherics are pronounced. Low-end is effective, rumbling with bass-heavy stings and explosions, offering real weight to the track.

Unforgettable Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Of (5:45, SD) is pulled from the 1996 EPK for "Unforgettable," with the featurette in full salesman mode trying to push the picture as a sleek, twisty thriller from a director with a solid track record in the genre. Interviews with cast and crew are included.

• Sound Bites sit down with Ray Liotta (2:55, SD), Linda Fiorentino (2:00, SD), Peter Coyote (2:02, SD), Kim Cattrall (:59, SD), Christopher McDonald (1:10, SD), John Dahl (2:25, SD), and co-producer Martha De Laurentiis (:57, SD) to discuss the creation of "Unforgettable," with emphasis on character motivation, directorial reverence and philosophy, and audience appeal. With the conversations conducted on-set, there's no post-mortem available, leaving the discussions superficial and expectedly promotional.

• Unedited B-rolls (20:36, SD) is the highlight of the supplementary features, giving viewers a chance to spy the production in motion, watching daily business as the actors and crew work out select shots to bring "Unforgettable" to life. Presented without comment, the footage is fascinating, studying multiple takes and the group effort required to pull off even the simplest of shots.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (2:19, HD) is included.

Unforgettable Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Perhaps the best way to initially experience "Unforgettable" is to shut it off after an hour, pretending the resolution provided at this time is enough to cover for the entire picture. That way, all the thrills and strangeness of the effort will feel exciting and focused, supplying a sharp sense of David's chase and sacrifice. The rest of the overlong feature will only ruin initial positivity toward Dahl and the production, who willingly torch everything that works about "Unforgettable" to play into dreary formula and ridiculous reveals, souring the entire viewing experience.