Knox Goes Away

Front Row at the Movies by Shirrel Rhoades

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In this age of Alzheimer’s Disease and other forms of dementia, this movie features (forgive me) a top-of-mind subject.

We read columns arguing over the supposedly deteriorating state of mind of our two presumed presidential candidates. And we follow the celebrity news about the conditions of Bruce Willis and Wendy Williams. We probably even have a relative or neighbor suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s or aphasia or frontotemporal dementia.

So why not a movie about an aging hit man (played by 72-year-old Michael Keaton) who has a rapidly evolving form of dementia?

“Knox Goes Away” can be found in theaters this week.

The movie has an A+ cast. In addition to Keaton (“Batman,” “Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance”), we also have Al Pacino (“The Godfather,” “Serpico”), Marcia Gay Harden (“Pollack”), James Marsden (“X-Men”), and Joanna Kulig (“Ida”).

Here, in this noir-ish thriller, we meet John Knox, a contract killer who is losing his mind. He is starting to have blackouts, a serious condition for someone in his profession. A paid killer needs to be on his toes.

Having only a matter of weeks left, he turns to his friend (Pacino) to help him launder some loot to get money to the family he left behind and to a prostitute (Kulig) he sees weekly.

Just then, John’s estranged son (Marsden) shows up one night covered in blood, having killed the man that raped his daughter. As one last act of redemption, John sets a plan in motion to save his son’s life from those who might seek revenge. But he has to move fast, before the police close in on him, and before he completely loses his cognitive ability.

You’ll be asking yourself, is this plan crafty and cunning? Or a product of his dementia?

As one moviegoer observed, this is a “clever and surprisingly funny film that invites us to reflect on the fragility of memory and those we have personally lost, before their time, to dementia and similar conditions.”

Yet it’s a tense and suspenseful thriller. And it has a satisfying twist.

More interesting, “Knox Goes Away” also was directed by Michael Keaton.

“Original noir thrillers like this are a rarity nowadays, so as producers, and movie lovers, we couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this project,” said Jillian Kay of Sugar23. “With Michael Keaton both behind and in front of the camera, combined with the rest of our gifted cast and crew, the audience is in for a real treat.”

Keaton is coming off some of the best reviews of his career for the Hulu limited series “Dopesick,” which has already won him a SAG and a Critics Choice Award, not to mention a Golden Globe, AARP Movies for Grownups Award, a Hollywood Critics Award, a SAG Award, and a Primetime Emmy.

However, critics have not been as kind to “Knox Goes Away.” Rotten Tomatoes only gives it a 46%. And Roger Ebert critic Brian Tallerico observes, “I don’t think Keaton the Director knows how to direct Keaton the Actor. He’s too laid-back here when ‘Knox’ needs some heat.”

Hot or not, I think it’s still an interesting concept. Perhaps no “Memento,” but worth the hour and 54 minutes with Michael Keaton, one of my favorite actors.

Email Shirrel: srhoades@aol.com