Memory of a Killer Review: Patrick Dempsey's Slick Hitman Drama Isn't Memorable Enough

Even before the new Fox suspense series Memory of a Killer fully establishes its premise, it's clear that things aren't going well for Angelo (Patrick Dempsey). While visiting his pregnant daughter, Maria (Odeya Rush), early in the show's first episode, it quickly becomes apparent that neither has gotten over the murder that left Angelo a widow and Maria without a mother. They've done their best to start over, but Maria's husband, Jeff (Daniel David Stewart), is struggling to find his feet professionally, and Angelo's job as a copier salesman often draws him away from their picturesque upstate New York hometown when he'd rather be there for his family. It's a tough situation.

It's also tough in ways that Maria or Jeff would have a hard time believing. Angelo isn't really a copier salesman. When Angelo leaves town for a work trip, his first stop is the abandoned middle-of-nowhere gas station where he keeps everything he needs to work his real job: an elite professional killer based in New York City. This includes an arsenal big enough to arm a small nation, a designer wardrobe, and a slick Porsche. He enters as Angelo Flannery, office supply expert, but leaves as Angelo Doyle, stone-cold killer in the employ of his longtime friend Dutch (Michael Imperioli), who leads his own double life as an agent to assassins/chef-turned restaurateur.

But Angelo's problems don't end there. The two episodes given to critics ahead of the show's premiere only hint at the other element that drives the series. Memory of a Killer adapts De Zaak Alzheimer (The Alzheimer Case), a novel by Belgian novelist Jef Geeraerts that's been twice been turned into a movie, first in 2003 via the Belgian film that kept its original name, then in 2022 as the American film Memory, starring Liam Neeson. Angelo's brother Michael (Richard Clarkin) suffers from some form of dementia and receives full-time care, and when Angelo starts to make simple mistakes like forgetting the passcode to the apartment he keeps in the city, he realizes he may have the same condition.

6.4

Memory of a Killer

Like

• Slick production values
• A fast pace
• A solid cast keeps it interesting

Dislike

• The show's command of its sensitive central element seems a bit unsure

Whether or not Memory of a Killer evolves into something other than the slick, familiar thriller it seems content to be in these first two episodes will likely depend on how it handles this defining element of the story. So far, the signs have been mixed. There's a long history of TV and movies letting characters' memory problems improve and worsen as the plot demands. A scene in which Angelo visits Michael, seemingly the only character who knows about Angelo's double life, seeking advice on his hitman woes, suggests this will also be Memory of a Killer's approach. More intriguing are hints that Angelo will attempt to atone for some past mistake, a central element to previous versions of this material, though what form that might take remains a little vague at this point.

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What's clear is that Memory of a Killer is so far a decidedly watchable show that, novel premise aside, has done little to make itself feel like essential viewing. Dempsey remains a solid TV anchor, though these two episodes barely test his ability to bring depth to the character. Imperioli provides solid support, as does Richard Harmon as Joe, Dutch's untested nephew who's eager to join the family business. Another encouraging sign: the always-welcome Gina Torres shows up in the second episode. Altogether there's enough here to suggest that Memory of a Killer could become more intriguing in the future. But right now it's a bit, for want of a better word, forgettable.

Premieres: Sunday, Jan. 25 following the NFC Championship on Fox. A second episode airs Monday, Jan. 26 at 9/8c, the show's regular time slot.
Who's in it: Patrick Dempsey, Michael Imperioli
Who's behind it: Ed Whitmore and Tracey Malone
For fans of: Suspense and action
How many episodes we watched: 2