Criminal

While the technological advancements in modern medicine have yielded some real breakthroughs, Criminal shows that advancements in Hollywood screenwriting have yet to match.

Indeed, the science is as flimsy as the script in this far-fetched thriller that fails to generate much suspense while squandering a top-notch cast.

The story begins with CIA operative Bill Pope (Ryan Reynolds) being killed by members of an international terror ring during a mission to protect top-secret information in London. But his supervisor (Gary Oldman) doesn’t want to lose the critical information that only Pope knew.

So he desperately contacts a neurosurgeon (Tommy Lee Jones) who’s been experimenting with a controversial procedure to transfer memories between brains. Pope’s body is subsequently rushed into surgery, and an unwilling recipient is found in Jericho (Kevin Costner), a ruthless career criminal with a violent past. His motto? “You hurt me, I hurt you worse.”

The procedure appears to be a success, with Jericho later experiencing some of Pope’s memories through flashbacks and hallucinations, and even connecting awkwardly with Pope’s widow (Gal Gadot) while making himself a target.

Since Reynolds relinquished his memory, he must have forgotten that it’s only been nine months since Self/Less, an equally absurd thriller in which he acquired a new consciousness. Costner has no such excuse, but at least he seems to have fun growling through the antihero lead role.

Criminal only hints at more provocative explorations of themes including medical ethics, government overreach, international terrorism, and prisoner recidivism. Instead, the screenplay by the tandem of David Weisberg and Douglas Cook (The Rock) is more interested in outrageous narrative twists, cardboard villains, and tired plot devices.

In fact, the film feels as though it might have been sitting around for about a decade, with its story hinging on wayward missiles and an encrypted flash drive.

Along the way, director Ariel Vroman (The Iceman) stages a handful of competent action sequences, mostly consisting of chases and fights. Highlights include a scene in which Jericho uses a plunger to bludgeon a foe and another where he nonchalantly commandeers an ambulance.

In a film about stolen memories, those stylish flashes are meant to distract from a storyline that deserves to be forgotten.

Rated R, 111 minutes.