An astonishingly original and vivid piece of cinema

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2000)

Memento is a dazzling piece of cinema, certainly one of the top three films of the year, if not Number One. It amazes, dazzles, infuriates, shocks, thrills in a virtuoso display of filmmaking craft. The premise is handled with supreme dexterity by Christopher Nolan in his sophomore effort (his debut being the little-seen Following) and the acting, particularly from a never-better Pearce is outstanding. Laced with a hint of dry, black humour, this film noir (chiefly set, ironically, in the daytime) is a brutal, mesmerising film. See it, but see it cold - the less you know before you enter the theatre the better (hence a lack of plot giveaways in this comment). With any luck, Memento will be remembered as one of the finest films of 2000, and the DVD could well be one of 2001's must-buys.