Manipulative but entertaining

Rating: 7/10 (28 April 2001)

Christopher Nolan deserves points for not only building on a clever premise, but providing a great deal of drama and comedy, without ever destroying the overall tone of the movie. The 'beginning at the end' approach really sucks you in, and it is easy to see how it could have been a disaster in the wrong hands.
Nolan is aided by three terrific primary actors -- Guy Pearce brings a tricked up intensity to his role -- part Ed Exley (his L.A. CONFIDENTIAL character) and part a guy who is both frustrated by his situation, yet still sees some humor in it. Carrie Anne Moss and Joe Panitalano (sp.?) are likewise outstanding, particularly Moss, whose character shifts tones a few times as the plot progresses backwards.
However, the ending of the movie is part of THE USUAL SUSPECTS school, which many people, judging by the ratings, apparently love. For me, the ending, like that of USUAL SUSPECTS is a screenwriter cheat -- perhaps moreso here. Instead of building to a logical conclusion (or a logical beginning?), the ending is decidedly random in a manner that suggests more that Nolan didn't know how to end the story, rather than providing a true resolution. When screenwriters get into this 'playing god' mode, I wish that maybe they'd try to pull a page out of the literary playbooks of Flann O'Brien and Alasdair Gray, and set up a confrontation between the lead character and the writer, who ultimately determines the character's fate.
This is essentially an terrific bunch of magic tricks.

Mike Bennett