Good, but not perfect

Rating: Null/10 (30 July 2010)

Memento tells the story of Leonard who has no short-term memory. He lost it defending his wife from a rapist. He compensates for this by writing down notes all the time about what has just occurred so that he might know who he is talking to and what he needs to do. He has a few facts about the man who raped/killed his wife and is on a quest to find him and kill him.
Since Leonard's confusion is the film's main premise, the story is told non-linearly so that we might also feel his confusion. A simple way to put it is that the film is shown in reverse order. This keeps the viewer constantly guessing what is happening and what are people's true intentions. It is very effective.
While the movie is quite good, there are a few flaws. The first, and lesser flaw, is that not all the vignettes are as interesting as the others. The beginning is fascinating, and the last hour as well. There is a good half-hour stretch in between these two points where the film drags a bit. The second flaw is that Leonard's condition does not stay consistent. Sometimes he can remember a seemingly twenty minute conversation, while at other times, he forgets what he was doing after only a minute. There are a few rules to his memory loss (like when a door shuts loudly it seems that this triggers memory loss), but on the whole, it seems like he only forgets when the plot needs him to.
Despite all these flaws, the movie is quite enjoyable. It is confusing, but in a good way. I could easily see myself watch this again in the near future. If you like Christopher Nolan, or if you just like a well-made film, I recommend Memento whole-heartedly.
4/5 stars (The movie is rated R for language and very brief drug use. There is some violence, but it's pretty PG-13)