Film noir is largely absent from studio filmmaking nowadays, with the once prolific genre now existing as little more than beloved classics and cult hits, with the occasional modern indie film daring to journey into the territory. Westworld co-creator Lisa Joy should be commended then, on reviving the genre in a relatively big-budget way with Reminiscence: a sci-fi tinged love story wrapped around a murder mystery. Though while the Hugh Jackman-starring film looks incredible and features plenty of exciting futuristic concepts, it never coalesces into anything other than a fairly predictable mystery, albeit one buoyed by great performances from Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson.
In the aftermath of a global warming event that has partially flooded the world and sparked a series of wars for dominance over the remaining dry land, Nick Bannister (Jackman) and his veteran buddy Watts (Thandiwe Newton) operate a business out of the shady, waterlogged side of Miami that allows customers to re-experience important memories in vivid detail. When the enigmatic and mysterious Mae (Ferguson) pays a visit to her memory in order to locate a set of lost keys, Nick falls hard, with the pair soon becoming inseparable. Nick’s run of bad luck seems to be on the turnaround thanks to his relationship with Mae, until she abruptly vanished without a trace, leaving him distraught and desperately revisiting his memories in search of a clue that will help him reconnect with her. Just as Nick begins to put the past behind him, he uncovers a sinister clue hiding in someone else’s memory; a clue that pushes him down a dark path to uncovering Mae’s secrets and losing himself to obsession in the process.
The opening few minutes of Reminiscence do a fantastic job of introducing you to this unique world, with Jackman’s classic noir voiceover quickly familiarising you with the strange waterlogged city and its seedy inhabitants. Miami looks amazing, with vivid neon signs and lights reflected off the flooded streets back onto the people wading through them in knee-high rain boots. The streets themselves are lined with facades of buildings are pulled straight out of noir films of the early 40’s and 50’s, but with a distinctive futuristic touch, like your grandfather walking through his old neighbourhood as a kid with an iPhone. Nick’s occupation further expands the world, introducing an intriguing setup for a murder mystery; entering the memories of people offers the potential for a more cerebral search rather than the typical noir trapping of the hero scouring his city for the criminal.
Unfortunately Joy doesn’t seem particularly interested in venturing too far from noir conventions, content to bring the genre back to the screen without reinventing the wheel. Because of this the sci-fi concepts feel largely superfluous – Nick may detect a clue from someone’s memory (usually his own) but the pursuit happens in the real world, with the mystery of Mae’s disappearance becoming more predictable with each new clue uncovered. Similarly Jackman’s Nick begins the film as a downtrodden man struggling to scrape together a living before developing a crippling addiction to his search for Mae – new ground for the actor who has for so long been associated with claws and one hell of a temper. However as the mystery unravels, Nick sheds most of that baggage; going into full action hero mode and dispatching shady characters he encounters with all the violent proficiency of Wolverine.
All this might give the impression that Reminiscence isn’t worth your time, but that isn’t true thanks to a terrific cast led by powerhouse performances from Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson. Their chemistry as a couple of star-crossed lovers is palpable, with Jackman the perfect leading man to embody the modern equivalent of classic noir actors like Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum. Despite the mystery unravelling into predictability, you never stop rooting for Nick, as Jackman completely sells the descent into obsession as he severs ties with those close to him and destroys everything he has built in his pursuit of Mae. Ferguson is brilliantly cast as the femme fatale, oozing old Hollywood glamour as she seduces Nick; her presence (or lack thereof) felt throughout the entire film despite only appearing in a handful of scenes. You might not like where the story ultimately heads or the superfluous science fiction elements, but this central pairing will keep you invested right up until the credits – a testament that Jackman is certainly not going anywhere now that his time as Wolverine is behind him.
Lisa Joy’s first big trip outside of Westworld is something of a mixed bag – a confident, if overstuffed swing at the film noir genre that succeeds on the strength of Jackman, Ferguson and the entire cast’s commitment to the material. It may not live up to the promise of the mystery initially established, spiralling into predictability along the way, but Joy should be commended for attempting something so wholly different from most big-budget filmmaking out there. Anything different is sure to stand out in an age dominated by superheroes and over-the-top action and Reminiscence is a cult classic in the making.
Reminiscence stars Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, Daniel Wu, Brett Cullen, Marina de Tavira, Sam Medina & Cliff Curtis – In cinemas now.