Brilliant...

Rating: 10/10 (14 September 2001)

It is unfortunate that the majority of people who voted negatively for this film are also the ones most confounded by it. Your inability to grasp the nuances of a particularly complex plot should not reflect on the film, but on yourself.
Yes, some might call this film contrived or 'gimmicky', but that is typically a knee-jerk euphemism for "I've been tricked, I fell in the trap, I can't figure it out and it's not my fault." This film isn't perfect, as no film truly can be, but it is one of the most fascinating endeavors to twist narrative, continuity and subjectivity. One reviewer suggested that the actual story would be quite dull if it were edited in typical narrative fashion. Well, no s**t. Because it is reversed does not mean it is not a typical 'narrative'. What it manages to do is create incredible tension and suspense while allowing the viewer to know what has already happened. How many scripts could pull that off? Of course the story would be less interested told in real time, that is the whole point!
Excellent performances, etc. etc.
Ten stars for originality, intelligence and production. 0 stars to the dull-minded folk who resist any challenge greater than "Jurassic Park III."