The Memory of a Killer (2003) De zaak Alzheimer (original title)

Director:

Erik Van Looy

Writers:

Jef Geeraerts (novel)
Carl Joos (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

26 September 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

Vincke and Verstuyft are the best detectives of the Antwerp police department. They are confronted with the murder on a leading executive and put all their effort to catch the murderer.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Police | Detective | Prostitute | Corpse

Awards:

7 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Laurien Van den Broeck	...	Bieke Cuypers
Dirk Roofthooft	...	Vader Cuypers
Koen De Bouw	...	Eric Vincke
Werner De Smedt	...	Freddy Verstuyft
Hilde De Baerdemaeker	...	Linda de Leenheer
Geert Van Rampelberg	...	Tom Coemans
Jan Decleir	...	Angelo Ledda
Patrick Descamps	...	Gilles Resnais
Anne-Caroline Suberville	...	Dienster
Jan Dyck	...	Taxi Driver
Miek Van Bocxtaele	...	Receptionist (as Miek Van Bocxstaele)
Deborah Ostrega	...	Anja
Gene Bervoets	...	Seynaeve
Els Dottermans	...	Eva Van Camp
Lucas Van den Eynde	...	Bob Van Camp
Anaïs Terryn	...	Ine Van Camp
Lone van Roosendaal	...	Henriette Seynaeve
Jo De Meyere	...	Baron Gustave De Haeck
Johan van Assche	...	Van Parys
Roland De Jonghe	...	Paolo Ledda
Katrien Vandendries	...	Nurse
Ludo Hoogmartens	...	Businessman
Bart Slegers	...	Lemmens
Marc Peeters	...	Opdebeeck
Tom Waes	...	Verheyen
Filip Peeters	...	Major De Keyzer
Eddy Vereycken	...	Dr. Abbeloos
Kristine Arras	...	Housekeeper
Vic de Wachter	...	Joseph Vlerick
Tom Van Dyck	...	Jean de Haeck
Babett Manalo	...	Masseuse
Jan Van Looveren	...	Police Motorcyclist
Jappe Claes	...	Prosecutor Bracke
Marc Janssen	...	Chaplain
Peter Borghs	...	Guard
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cela Yildiz	...	Reporter

Directed by
Erik Van Looy

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Jef Geeraerts		novel
Carl Joos		screenplay
Erik Van Looy		writer

Produced by
Mark De Geest	....	executive producer
Hilde De Laere	....	producer
Erwin Provoost	....	producer
Sjef Scholte	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Stephen Warbeck

Cinematography by
Danny Elsen

Film Editing by
Yoohan Leyssens
Philippe Ravoet

Casting by
Gunter Schmid

Art Direction by
Johan Van Essche

Set Decoration by
Hendrik Van Kets

Costume Design by
Kristin Van Passel

Makeup Department
Fien D'Heu	....	assistant makeup artist
Esther De Goey	....	makeup department head
Gerda van Hoof	....	assistant makeup artist

Production Management
Guy De Lombaert	....	production manager
Alexandra Meese	....	post-production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Eddy Stevesyns	....	first assistant director
Eric Taelman	....	second unit director
Jakob Verbruggen	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Ine Cams	....	assistant property master
Seppe de Preeuw	....	assistant decorator (as Seppe Depreeuw)
Joeri Destrycker	....	constructor
Steven Liegeois	....	assistant property master
Chris Lievens	....	constructor
Hendrik Van Kets	....	property master
Jimmy Van Meel	....	set dresser
Selwijn Vandenbossche	....	construction manager (as Selwyn Vandenbossche)

Sound Department
Benoît Biral	....	foley recordist
Geert Engels	....	sound recordist
Peter Flamman	....	sound designer
Peter Flamman	....	sound mixer
Thomas Gauder	....	post-synchronisation
Orm Sobrino	....	sound editor
Pierre Van Caloen	....	sound editor
Philippe van Leer	....	foley artist
Wart Wamsteker	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Olivier de Laveleye	....	special effects
Marie Pierre Franck	....	special effects (as Marie-Pierre Franckx)
Pierre Wuidart	....	special effects

Stunts
Willem de Beukelaer	....	stunt coordinator
Nicolas de Pruyssenaere	....	stunts
Marco Maas	....	utility stunts
Ronald Schuurbiers	....	stunts
Michel Struik	....	utility stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
François Amadei	....	lighting technician: Marseille
Björn Charpentier	....	clapper loader
Wim Cloots	....	lighting technician
Dieter De Bock	....	additional electrician
Jan Dellaert	....	focus puller
Romain Gouillard	....	grip: Marseille
Mike Haderman	....	additional electrician (as Mike Hadermann)
Jean Hertel	....	lighting technician: Marseille
Tim Janssens	....	additional electrician
An Kenens	....	additional electrician
Dries Leerschool	....	grip
Dries Leerschool	....	key grip
Kurt Reybrouck	....	grip (as Kurt Reybroeck)
Jan Rubens	....	Steadicam operator
Toon Soetewey	....	additional electrician
Michel Struik	....	camera car operator
Roel Tanghe	....	additional electrician
Wim Temmerman	....	gaffer
Dirk Van Rampelbergh	....	additional electrician (as Dirk Van Rampelberg)
Jo Vermaercke	....	Steadicam operator
Bruno Verstraete	....	additional electrician
Bob Wouters	....	electrician

Casting Department
Patrick Hella	....	casting
Jeannette Snik	....	casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Els Cuppens	....	costume assistant
Charlotte Willems	....	costume assistant

Editorial Department
Peter Bernaers	....	colorist
Arnout Deurinck	....	on-line editor
Huguette Vanvolsem	....	negative cutter (as Huguette van Volsem)

Music Department
Steve Parr	....	music mixer
Steve Parr	....	music recordist

Other crew
Jo van Hende	....	location manager

Thanks
Wim De Witte	....	thanks

Production Companies

• MMG Film & TV Production
• PVPictures (co-production)
• TROS Bridge Rights (co-production)
• TV1 (co-production)

Distributors

• Kinepolis Film Distribution (KFD) (2004) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• A-Film Distribution (2004) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• ARP Sélection (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2005) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Sandrews (2005) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Ace Digital House

Other Companies

• Ace Digital House  post-production facilities
• Key Grip Systems  grip equipment
• Meta Sound Studio  dolby mastering
• Mikros Image  film recording
• Studio l'Équipe  foley recording

Also Known As:

"De zaak Alzheimer" - Belgium (original title)
"The Alzheimer Affair" - International (English title)
"The Alzheimer Case" - International (English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexuality and nudity

Runtime:

123 min | Belgium:135 min (director's cut)

Country:

Belgium | Netherlands

Language:

Dutch | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Germany:16 | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Argentina:16 | Belgium:KT | Iceland:16 | South Korea:15

Filming Locations:

Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

Company:

MMG Film & TV Production

Trivia:

The director (a big RAFC supporter) insisted that actor Gene Bervoets (a Beerschot supporter) whistle the anthem of RAFC in a scene where he's in the car (Beerschot and RAFC are both football clubs in Antwerpen, with 100 years of enmity dividing their fans). Gene Bervoets, however, agreed to do as requested immediately. Since his character is a complete bastard, he thought it quite logical that he would be an RAFC-fan.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Near the end, when Ledda helds the doctor hostage, police tracks his actions on a monitor with USB-connection (we get to see the USB-sticker clearly several times). The movie is set in 1995. Although Compaq, DEC, Microsoft, and NEC defined the USB port in 1993, standards were approved by the group only in 1996, and the first implementation of USB did not occur until 1998.

Quotes:

Angelo Ledda:[about killing Jean de Haeck] I'm sure nobody will miss him. *I* didn't.

Movie Connections:

References Memento (2000)

Soundtrack:

Some Of Us

A professional looking movie from Belgium

Only a handful of Belgian movies haven't given me the feeling that they were produced locally and with a limited budget. This is one of them, not surprisingly because it was done with a larger budget than usual (but still quite small by Hollywood standards). I feel it has everything in place to rival any Hollywood production. The most important asset of the movie however is veteran actor Jan Decleir, a man who was already indirectly nominated a few times for the Oscars via the foreign movies section. Jan Decleir is brilliant and outclasses everyone else on the set (as he often does). The rest of the cast consists of good and not so good actors (some come from terrible Flemish soap series), but somehow everyone seems to rise above him/herself on this occasion and everyone deliver a decent performance. The photography, camera-work, everything's done quite professionally. The difference with many Hollywood action movies is the fact that the plot is quite good. The fact that the main character has Alzheimer's and that he has to use his ever shrinking mental capabilities to finish his quest, is an original twist. People will compare Alzheimer's to Memento, because of the main character's memory loss. But Memento was conceived to challenge viewers, to baffle them, to be perceived as intelligent and artistic. By contrast this movie is more down to Earth, more realistic and in the end simply something completely different. It's nothing more than an original cop-movie, good entertainment and certainly something I'd recommend, even to non Belgian or non-Dutch speaking viewers. Plans are underway for a Hollywood remake of this movie, so it must be other people have recognized its potential too. One word of caution though. Many people say the movie is a bit too long. That's a sentiment I share. At the end the plot loses a bit of its strength. But overall i'd label 'De zaak Alzheimer' a good movie.