An assassin who suffers from dementia needs to help his estranged son by planning and executing a meticulous plan that can save his life.
It hits hard from the start and doesn’t get easier in the process. Written by Gregory Poirier and produced and directed by Michael Keaton himself, Knox Goes Away is an easy and digestible watch that still manages to cut your breath short at times, especially in the end. What happens to Knox in the beginning, the act he commits afterwards, the thing he does for his son, and how he is seen in the end complete the hero’s journey and leave the audience with a bittersweet feeling that is maintained way after the end credits scroll down.
Knox’s plan is meticulous, and while many credits go there, his condition and how he handles it also keep the suspense to the highest of levels. The beauty of the film is the simple premise. A man needs to save his estranged son before he… goes away. Keaton manages to get the audience to side with and feel for him while they know he is an assassin. His surrounding environment, comprised of an excellent cast, James Marsden, Al Pacino, and Marcia Gay Harden, also supports the notion that, indeed, he deserves redemption. Even his rival, Suzy Nakamura (Ikari), shares something positive about him.
Lastly, Keaton nails his role. Just pay attention to his body movements and facial expressions. You see, Knox suffers from something terrifying. Something that is unfathomable to everyone until it happens to them. And when you start losing yourself… when you gradually forget the people around you, the things you say and do and the way you feel, and eventually, lose yourself within yourself, and you don’t know who you are or why you came to be… then you are alienated from reality… alone…
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