The Memory of a Killer

Synopsis: Angelo Ledda (Jan Decleir) is an international hitman who has been hired to terminate two people in Belgium. Unknown to those around him, Ledda has advanced symptoms of Alzheimer's, and this double murder will likely be his last. Upon his arrival in Belgium, Ledda quickly finishes the first part of the job: he eliminates a high-profile official Bob Van Camp, leading Detectives Eric Vincke and Freddy Verstuyft (Koen De Bouw, Werner De Smedt) to investigate the murder. When Ledda realizes that his second target is a twelve-year-old girl, he breaks his contract. Ledda, a victim of abuse as a child, makes it his mission to find out who wanted the young girl dead. Ledda's boss, Gilles, finishes the job. While in Belgium, Gilles lays a trap for Ledda, who ultimately turns the situation to his advantage and eliminates Gilles. Furious over the attempt on his life, Ledda turns against his clients. Seynaeve, the middleman in the hired killings, is his first victim. Whilst Vincke and Verstuyft are busy investigating Ledda's case, Ledda strikes again: assassinating the son his client, Minister of State Baron de Haeck. Consequently, Ledda leads Vincke into a cat and mouse game as he continues his mission of revenge. And to their growing dismay, Vincke and Verstuyft begin to see the connection between the murders and political intrigue. Ledda, who is increasingly becoming more careless as a result of Alzheimer's, panics one night when two policeman stop him for a routine patrol check. After killing both officers, a wounded Ledda recklessly and unsuccessfully attempts to kill Baron de Haeck and his bodyguards. Furious over the death of their colleagues, Baron de Haeck's bodyguards refuse to hand Ledda over to Vincke and Verstuyft for questioning. After a few political strings are pulled, Vincke and Verstuyft find Ledda in their custody and begin to unravel a complex web of sexual blackmail and political ambition at the root of the murders. Vincke takes the case to his legal superiors who, after discovering the parties involved, refuse to cooperate or aid in a case where the only real evidence against the powerful Baron de Haeck is the testimonial of a hitman with an ever-decreasing ability to tell fact from fiction. Taking matters into his own hands, De Haeck blackmails an appointed court psychiatrist to declare Ledda insane. While the doctor is injecting Ledda with a muscle paralyzing substance, Ledda takes the psychiatrist hostage and declares the ransom of a car and two hostages, Vincke and Verstuyft. He insists that Vincke be his negotiator who gets the clearance from his superiors to let Ledda go; but what Vincke doesn't know is that police sharpshooters have been ordered to shoot Ledda on-sight. While Ledda manages to escape once again, it is not for long. Knowing all too well that the end is near, Ledda ensures that even after his death the affair can be fully unraveled, leaving a cryptic comment Vincke can use to find the final piece of the puzzle.   Source: Sony Pictures Classics