Scarred Memory is quite a good thriller for about the first two-thirds of its' running time, offering up plenty of suspense twinged with a dose of sexiness. But, sadly, even though the script had four people working on it, everything falls apart during the final act, resulting in a disappointingly average production.

The movie starts out in a fairly salacious manner, with a young ER doctor named Ivy (Veronica Yip) being raped in a back alley. Combined with her boyfriend cheating on her with her best friend, Ivy soon has a nervous breakdown while attempting to treat Lung (Simon Yam), a Triad who was attacked and left for dead. Taking a leave of absence, Ivy heads for Macau to party and forget her troubles, but everything takes a sudden change when she runs into Lung, who has been left physically and mentally disabled due to her negligence.

Even though the story heads into soap-opera territory at points, a feeling that is definitely not helped by the pandering soundtrack and liberal use of montages, the movie is held together by the leads. Simon Yam doesn't overplay the disabilities of his character, and Veronica Yip creates a sympathetic yet still extremely sexy take on what could very well be a "jade vase" role.

Unfortunately, any momentum Scarred Memory gets going for it is de-railed by the finale. I won't spoil the plot's resolution, but it involves Ivy finding out who attacked her. Her reaction and subsequent actions are unbelievable at best and downright insulting at worst, giving the ending a slap-dash feeling that sullies the product as a whole.

RATING: 5