Reminiscence – film review

Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton and Cliff Curtis star in a decent sci-fi, noir thriller from a co-creator of Westworld and Christopher Nolan’s brother.

In a near-future Miami that’s drowning due to global warming people escape reality by reliving their memories. Hugh Jackman stars as Nick Bannister a slightly ruffled, somewhat down-on-his-luck private investigator hired by authorities to use this memory tech to uncover the truth from witnesses and criminals. On the side he works with Thandiwe Newton (“Watts”) helping normal, everyday people escape reality. One day a slinky lounge slinker (Mae, played by Ferguson) wanders in needing help to find some lost keys. Nick is a goner falling for the femme fatale immediately. The two share a quick romance and then… Mae disappears. Could her disappearance be related to a case involving a greedy land developer? Of course it is! The film hits all the required noir beats we’ve seen a thousand times before but the cast is uniformly excellent and photographed in a wonderfully evocative fashion that makes the film worth a gander.

Like most noirs the plot of Reminiscence may be overly convoluted with all the plot points not quite connecting and at times the film comes off as hokey and melodramatic but overall the film is the kind of original, high-concept film aimed at adults that studios are making less and less. There are some downright beautiful and amazing sequences in the film from a shoot out in New Orleans to the climax with Jackman and Ferguson that stand out. Reminiscence is certainly reminiscent of several other films (Blade Runner, Inception) but provides enough original ideas and amazing world building to warrant a view, either in theaters or HBO Max.