"Nolan Brilliantly Constructs A Murder Mystery Film."

Rating: 10/10 (11 August 2005)

Leonard's wife has been murdered and he himself left with short-term memory loss. Now Leonard goes about life trying to catch the one who destroyed his life. He tattoos his body with clues as to who this man is and relies on pictures and his handwriting to help him remember certain things.
In Christopher Nolan's film, Memento, he brilliantly constructs a murder mystery that leaves the viewer in the dark as to what really happened. Nolan structures the film in such a way that makes us feel exactly like the lead character, Leonard. The film doesn't follow any normal structure, because it begins with the ending, then ends with the stories beginning. The viewer has no idea what has happened prior to what we are being shown, much like Leonard who has short-term memory loss.
Nolan uses black and white as transitional scenes between the structure of going backwards. These are breaks in the story line and act as a narration to give the viewer more insight into Leonard's condition. These scenes in black and white actually take place before the film and in the film's conclusion these scenes connect with the rest of the film. The viewer much like Leonard again must connect pieces of the story to come to a conclusion as to what has happened, but in the end the answer is ambiguous and we are told to make our own conclusion as to what happened.
Leonard will never remember himself killing John G. He will always go on trying to find his killer even though he has most likely already killed him. There are no "good" characters in this film, since everyone Leonard meets ends up using him for their benefit. Teddy uses him to kill a drug dealer, Natalie uses him to get vengeance on Teddy, and even the hotel receptionist fools Leonard by checking him into two separate rooms. The film takes more then one view to comprehend what happens and it takes a great filmmaker to be able to make people talk about something years later. Nolan has manages to become an auteur with Memento, not only being the vision behind it but the creator all together.
Joe Pantoliano, who has a knack for playing evil roles, sets himself apart here and really shines. Where Pearce is most of the times flat Pantoliano brings life and comedy into the film. His Matrix co-star Carrie Ann Moss also brings a certain charm here; in her own little evil way.
Everyone should watch this film at least once, trust me, you'll need more then one viewing to know what's going on. It's structure and presentation is astonishing and should be awarded so. I give thumbs up for Nolan's Memento.