A smart, original, and hella complex thriller

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2008)

In an attempt to keep this review spoiler free, I'll simply state that this movie is in my Top 5 of all-time. It is one of the best thrillers I have ever seen. And by thriller, I don't mean Dawn of the Dead.
The story is amazing, the cinematography works well. This is a smart movie for smart people who like smart movies. And it doesn't have a hint of pretentiousness. It's not being different just to be different.
My biggest problem with movies that have twists at the end, is that the writers/directors spend 95% percent of the movie luring you in, and then the last 2 minutes showing you how at all comes together. This was done well in "The Sixth Sense", and done poorly in "The Prestige", and "The Lookout". Both of the latter movies had serious promise, yet I just wasn't able to buy into them 100%. A non-issue with Memento.
The movie's plot is spaced out evenly (by nature of the story) and by the time you make it through one viewing you'll know what I mean. This is possibly Memento's greatest asset.
In many ways, this is a caper, a mystery, a who-dun-it. I have seen this movie many times, and I'll admit that I didn't fully understand what I had just seen after my initial viewing.
I suspect that most people will need to watch the movie twice in order to have even a clue of what is going on in the movie. The real joy is watching this movie a second time through and piecing the story and chronology together yourself, then taking a step back and realizing what a masterpiece of a work of art this truly is. Congrats to everyone who worked on this film.
Instant classic.