A very original plot and screenplay, even groundbreaking

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2002)

This film is for those who like mysteries, or are in school to learn how to make a good film script, or who are at least of average intelligence. The lower life forms, such as NASCAR/Wrestling fans and bowlers need not apply --- go see The Flintstones, Part 8 in 3D.
I have never had the pleasure of watching a film which progressed completely backwards in time & frame sequence. You could literally watch this film from the last scene to the first and it would make sense, maybe even more sense, except of course that you would watch the true ending first and spoil it for yourself. What's really cool is that there's a slight narrative story within the story that is moving forward --- it's really ingenious.
This is a classic in the making; completely original in all aspects. This is something that I'm sure Hitchcock would have liked to do if he or anybody had thought of it before. There are plot holes, but incredibly, you don't notice them badly and they don't have to be resolved to enjoy the film. The script even mentions at least one, and you have to stop and think for a moment to find the others --- if Leonard can make no new memories, what good is a revenge killing if he won't remember the satisfaction of it, or even if he has even exacted revenge already --- in fact, what good is doing anything other than just existing and waiting for a cure, but then you wouldn't have a movie, eh? These questions were posed by the story which inspired the film and of course were omitted for sake of argument and they do not spoil the continuity one bit.
The introduction of certain elements of the plot are not mentioned and left up to the viewer to decipher, and another big hole --- if Leonard can't remember anything, how does he remember how to drive a car, how does he even know that the Polaroids he takes are in his pocket, and how does he know about anything he has done more than 30 minutes ago which are essential to functioning in life in general? There are also elements of certain characters that fail to resolve themselves, but you can live with them as well --- what you get in return is a heckuva neo-Noir flick that deserves your attention.
If you will suspend belief as you should when you see any film and manage to hold on for the first 30 minutes until the plot thickens, you will get an incredible payoff. In fact, this will be a film that you will want to watch again the very moment it ends to take stock of what just happened and the time frames and appreciate the mastery of the plot & screenplay fully and even discuss what you just saw with someone, as you may have a time figuring out what you just saw! The filmmakers left a little of the story in your hands to allow you to decide what you just saw, but not so much (like "K-PAX") that you feel like you were left with an incomplete storyline.
Thumbs straight up on this one, and you MUST get the DVD version to really appreciate this film.