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‘Knox Goes Away’ Review: Michael Keaton Is a Hitman With Dementia in Neo-Noir Misfire

The actor directs and stars as a killer facing a devastating diagnosis in this film also featuring Al Pacino, James Marsden and Marcia Gay Harden.

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  • This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Michael Keaton, who also directed the film, plays John Knox, a contract killer diagnosed with a rare disease causing full-onset dementia within a matter of weeks.

    The first hints of Knox’s medical condition are presented when he sits down for a meal at a diner with his partner in killing (Ray McKinnon, making a strong impression in his brief screen time) and orders a cup of coffee even though he already has one.

    The grim official diagnosis prompts Knox to start wrapping up his affairs, including arranging to launder his ill-gotten gains through a helpful fence (Dennis Dugan).

    Investigating both Knox’s and his son’s killings is a tough-as-nails female detective (an enjoyable Suzy Nakamura), who demonstrates her macho bona fides by asking a smiling male colleague, “You just get a hand job?”

    The actor, who previously directed 2008’s The Merry Gentleman (in which he played a suicidal hitman, leaving you to wonder about his taste in material), does a technically competent job, employing a variety of stylistic tricks, including blackouts and other visual effects, to illustrate his character’s growing confusion.

    Al Pacino, in a supporting role as Xavier, Knox’s elderly mentor who likes to eat Chinese food in the bathtub, has the right idea, infusing his entertaining turn with a twinkling humor that lets you know he’s in on the joke.


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