3 Short Paragraphs (Or Not): Knox Goes Away

2023, Michael Keaton (The Merry Gentlemen) -- Amazon

Two movies directed by Keaton, two movies about hitmen. I wonder what's up with that.

Another movie about a hitman diagnosed with memory issues, though John Knox's CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) is definitely the worst. By the time he is confirmed to have contracted it, he is in the last few weeks. I said, in my write up of The Killer's Game that it generally has something to do with having consumed "mad cow brain" and articles do say, "only through an injection or consuming infected brain or nervous tissue." But a bit further reading says just the consumption of infected meat can cause. The little detail in the movie of having an opening scene with the two killers, John (Michael Keaton, The Founder) and his partner Muncie (Ray McKinnon, Mayans MC), eating steaks in a shitty diner, was nice.

Memory issues are on my mind of late (until I forget) because dementia is around me. Being of an age where most of my peer group have aging parents, its not surprising their are such things happening, but also being of an age, my brain is no longer storing more than it should. I notice that more and more I am having "those moments" where I lose names of people or things, especially when put on the spot. I just blank out entirely, lose the word, sit still and struggle to put together a trigger for the word, or just plain give up. And let's not get into the "nope, I have no recollection of that..." conversations with Marmy. I am sure its just age, stress, diet, stress but it chills me to the bone when I see these depictions of it.

Two things happen after the diagnosis: he accidentally kills his partner, after having a moment, and his estranged son Miles (James Marsden, Paradise) shows up on his doorstep, covered in blood and panicking. Miles has killed the 30sumthin supremacist who has been sexually assaulting his 16 year old daughter. If anyone knows how to deal with a murder scene, its his father. Knox goes to a close friend and fixer, Xavier Crane (Al Pacino, The Irishman), to build a plan, not just for putting his final affairs in order, but also to remove his son from suspicion forever.

A nice detail that the movie skips the typical hitman / enforcer tropes where its a challenge to get out of the business. Its not like they have a choice, but in other examples, the only way out is death. But Crane presents as a true friend, knowing Knox will not be able to keep on track without help. There isn't a lot of emotion in their relationship, just two criminals saying, "Yep, let's do this." Loyalty. Understanding.

In many ways this is a more thoughtful movie than others of its ilk. Keaton puts a sympathetic hand on Knox but doesn't shy away from exactly how terrible it is to just ... go away. Eventually the disease will not only steal away his memories but also his body's memories on how to function, and he will die. Knox has a lot to do in that short time, in order to clear his son's name, and setup the people he cares for with the money he has made. I still marvel at Keaton compared to how his career started as there is not a hint of funny man here. This is a sobre, focused movie, and while not groundbreaking in any manner (I again repeat, things don't have to be new to be good) it does its job well.