...movie top my been have could

Rating: 8/10 (28 February 2002)

This was ALMOST one of my favorite movies. I was captivated from the very beginning with the clever filming technique, the clear, yet confusing plot line, the interesting story... Memento lived up to everything I had heard and expected. Right until the end. NOTE: do not read any further if you wish to remain in suspense until the end of the movie.

The movie created an excellent mood of suspense and curiosity as the plot points slowly fell together and everything began to make sense. The girl, the drug dealer, the murder... it all started to come clear, and, as I had suspected from the beginning, there would be a surprise ending, though, given the terms of the actual movie, it was hardly a "surprise". The final confrontation brought Teddy and our "hero" together... and then, there was no hero. There is no one to root for here. There is no tragic savior, there is no revelation, at least one worth being excited about. The cop is as crooked as could be assumed, the drug dealer was a drug dealer, and our "hero" turns out to be nearly the worst of all. It is a huge let-down for me to discover that there is no justice in the world of forgetfulness of Leonard, our tragic man who is used by everyone, including himself. It's hard to even feel sorry for him anymore. It all falls apart. Of course, that is my only qualm with the movie. It was highly deserving of the eight it received for the ingenious cutting, dialogue and inner monologue of Lenny, and the most unusual plot. This indeed is a great movie, but for me, it was just not quite enough. Perhaps next time, I won't watch the end.