Intriguing

Rating: 9/10 (26 August 2008)

Some films have an intriguing premise but don't deliver on it. Christopher Nolan's Memento delivers in spades!
The story of a man searching for his wife's killer but unable to retain any short term memories is obviously intriguing. Nolan adds twists by telling the story in reverse and having our "hero" aid his memory with tattoos and instant photos.
By the end of the film the viewer's head is spinning and we don't know what to make of the previous 90 minutes. Thank God for rewind buttons on DVD remotes!
The film is about memory. Nolan brilliantly plays with the viewer's own memory. At first we feel sympathy for Leonard, trying to piece together enough information from his disabled memory to get revenge on his wife's murderer. At the conclusion we realise that in the course of the film we may have played tricks on our own memories. Were the assumptions we made in following the story completely wrong? Were our sympathies misplaced?
A lot of the film hangs on the performance of Guy Pearce in the main character and he is brilliant. Carrie Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano are also excellent in the main supporting roles.
Quite simply, one of the best films of the last ten years. You have to watch it!