You better pay attention!

Rating: Null/10 (28 March 2001)

Imagine what life would be like if you had no short-term memory. You meet someone, introduce yourself, and have a conversation. Ten minutes into that conversation you realize you don't remember meeting this person, or any of what you just talked about. This is the life of Leonard Shelby in MEMENTO. He's a tortured man living in a life without a set direction. Only through a system of writing himself notes on photos, and tattooing special information on his body, can he make it day by day. He knows that his wife was raped and murdered. He remembers everything up until that day... or does he? Now he wants only to find the man responsible, and exact the harshest form of justice. Along the way he's made a couple of friends. Teddy, played by the always engaging Joe Pantoliano, is a confident but shady pal who seems to know a lot more than he lets on. Then there's Natalie, played mysteriously by Carrie-Anne Moss. She seems trustworthy, but may have her own secret agenda. Between these two, Leonard doesn't quite know who to trust, or more importantly how much he's already trusted them. His one saving grace comes in the form of a tattoo on his hand that reads "Sammy Jankis", which is in reference to a man Leonard met some time ago who suffered the same condition. You'll snicker at the way certain people take advantage of Leonard's problem, only to find those actions become more disturbing and very extreme as the story rewinds. The worst part is that he can do nothing about it. MEMENTO is a twisting tale told literally backwards. The first scene in the film is the last thing to happen. Our job as the audience is to slowly step back in time to uncover just how exactly all of this came about. There has been quite a bit of buzz about this movie from numerous film festivals around the world. It's interesting to see how a movie can take such a dramatic step against the norm, and still find new ways to keep you guessing. Guy Pearce, who many of you may remember from L.A. CONFIDENTIAL a couple years back, plays the confused yet highly motivated role of Leonard very well. We feel for him, but wonder just how sane he could be with his condition. The film gets a tad longwinded in some scenes. Overall it's a cinematic experience that has to be seen to be fully understood. The best part about MEMENTO is the fact that what you take away from it will most likely be unique to you. This is not a film for everyone. It seemed that most of the "older" people didn't care for it. I distinctly heard one gentleman tell the poll-taker that he thought it was a "Poor" movie. Others seemed almost giddy with a sense of awe. Some films are more cerebral than others. If you decide to see this, be prepared to think hard about it, both during and after.
On a scale of ONE to TEN, TEN being the best, I give MEMENTO a SEVEN