Terrific!!!

Rating: 10/10 (7 May 2001)

Very clever, spooky thriller that is actually run backwards, so that each event that takes place on screen actually unfolded prior to what you just saw. The director- Chris Nolan (INSOMNIA) - uses this device to unwrap a mystery: our protagonist is looking for a killer, but he is afflicted by a strange condition that prevents him from retaining information for mor ethan a few minutes at a time. He can't remember where he's been or what he's just done, so the backwards-plot angle makes the viewer oddly in sync with the protaginist - we don't what he's just done, either. Ambiguous until the end, this is a masterful detective story - every detail is imbued with significance, though we often don't realize it until later. The lead character is played by Guy Pearce, the fiercely honorable and intelligent cop in L.A. CONFIDENTIAL - here, he has the same kind of mission for justice thing going, but he's flying blind here, unable to remember or trust anyone and ultimately unsure even of his own motives. Pearce didn't come across It's a dizzying tale - fractured, repetitive, cryptic, disorienting - just the way that film noir is supposed to be.