The main reason this film is so good!

Rating: 9/10 (12 February 2003)

The main reason this film is so good is that it puts the viewer directly in the shoes of the lead character. Leonard Shelby has a condition which renders his short term memory all but useless in fact he can't remember something that happened to him as recently as ten minutes ago. So how could the viewer possibly identify with him, well the film is shown backwards ; the film begins at the end and plays in scenes of 5 to 10 minutes in the length and the beginning of the scene you have just watched coincides with the end of the scene you are about to see. This mechanic allows you to peice together parts of the mystery just as Shelby is having to do. It sounds complicated, and to a certain extent it is, but no film maker has tried this approach before and I doubt anyone will try it again. As for the plot well to put it simply in the accident that caused Shelby's condition his wife was raped and murdered and he is seeking to take revenge on the killer. The accident is the last thing he can remember and understandably he is haunted by it and hopes that finding and killing the attacker will give him some closure. Revealing any more would spoil some of the best plot twists you will ever see all I can say is go to your local video store and rent it NOW!