a gimmick that works

Rating: 7/10 (3 November 2002)

Note that this is not at all the first film to use the ending first, play backwards or nonsequential. It's not even the first about a character with that particular mental condition. Memento distinguishes itself by being the first (to my knowledge) to use the form for an entirely narrative rather than artistic purpose, but that doesn't make it better than other similarly unfolding stories like The Green Wall .
Stripped of its gimmick, Memento is a very good although nonspectacular mystery thriller.