The Memory of a Killer

2003 1h 54m NL

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 163

CrimeThrillerAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Vincke and Verstuyft are one of the best detective teams of the Antwerp police force. When they are confronted with the disappearance of a top official and the murder of two prostitutes, the trail leads to the almost retired assassin Angelo Ledda. Since Ledda starts showing symptoms of Alzheimer's, it's getting more and more difficult to complete his contracts. When he has to murder a 12-year old call-girl, he refuses and becomes a target himself. While Vincke and Verstuyft are chasing him and counting the corpses, Ledda is taking care of his employers.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Koen De Bouw
Eric Vincke
Werner De Smedt
Freddy Verstuyft
Jan Decleir
Angelo Ledda
Jo De Meyere
Baron Henri Gustave de Haeck
Filip Peeters
Majoor De Keyzer
Hilde De Baerdemaeker
Linda de Leenheer
Geert Van Rampelberg
Tom Coemans
Tom van Dyck
Jean de Haeck

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Erik Van Looy
Writers: Carl Joos, Erik Van Looy
Languages: Dutch
Countries: Belgium, Netherlands

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 5

ERA

Did you know

Released 23 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 5

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: Belgium, Netherlands.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 5

RUNTIME

Did you know

Part of the "Vincke & Verstuyft trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 5

CAST

Did you know

Koen De Bouw and Werner De Smedt and Jan Decleir carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 5

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0374345 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Erik Van Looy directs. Produced in Belgium, Netherlands. Dialogue in Dutch.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 23 years ago.
2International production across 2 countries: Belgium, Netherlands.
3Part of the "Vincke & Verstuyft trilogy" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Koen De Bouw and Werner De Smedt and Jan Decleir carry the top of the cast.
5IMDB entry: tt0374345 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Runtime: 114 min · 1h 54m
Status: Released
Original language: NL
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Memory of a Killer (2003)

Part of

Vincke & Verstuyft trilogy

The Eric Vincke & Freddy Verstuyft - trilogy

Also by

Erik Van Looy

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb280390232022-08-28
★ 3/10
One could say, and would more often than not be proven right, that European films boast a maturity and sophistication sorely lacking in Hollywood movies. However, now and then Old Continent filmmakers can’t help but succumb to the vices of their American counterparts, and the outcome is something along the lines of this movie – which not only features an appearance by the dreaded Red Digital Readout, but also revolves around a Hitman with a Selective Conscience (who additionally happens to be physically old and mentally infirm, none of which prevents him from being always One Step Ahead). The killer’s name is Angelo, and as the AllMovie overview correctly points out, “it goes against Angelo's principles to kill a child.” I’m pretty sure the word “principles” is used in that sentence for lack of a better term, because as far as tenets go, Angelo’s are seriously warped. From a strictly moral standpoint, there is absolutely no difference between murdering an adult and murdering a child, but somehow we are supposed to be able to tell a ‘good’ assassin from a ‘bad’ one based on whether or not they are willing to make age distinctions. What doesn’t occur to Angelo and his ilk is that children grow up to become adults, so that in a few years it will magically no longer be against his principles to kill the very same person whose life he is currently so hell-bent on preserving (and who’s to say what the cutoff age is anyway? What if I remain a child at heart?). By the same token, we are all somebody’s children – even God’s children if you want to get theological about it –, aren’t we? So technically we should all be off limits. But who knows? Maybe this double standard is a sign of the character’s cognitive decay, in which case director Erik Van Looy is a whole lot more clever than I’m giving him credit for (I sincerely doubt it, though).

Production companies