Unique, brilliant and deep

Rating: 10/10 (23 January 2005)

Ever since I first heard of this film, I was intrigued and wanted to find out if it was really pulled off as well as everyone said. Incredibly enough, despite how sky-high my expectations were for this film, I was pleasantly surprised and my expectations were definitely exceeded. As you probably already know, this whole film runs 'backwards'... meaning that you start by seeing the end, and then go all the way back to the beginning. There's a line in the film that perfectly states the immediate thought that just about anyone has about this idea when they first hear it: "I always thought the joy of reading a book is not knowing what happens next." A reasonable assumption, but not always a true one. Especially not when it comes to this film. Because every single scene, up to (but not including) the very last one, starts with the ending of the next one, and ends with the beginning of the previous one. This makes the mystery even more elusive and adds more intensity to the thriller portions of the film. The brilliant and unique reverse time-line is perfectly explained by the main characters condition. This is the best film I've seen in quite a while, and I can't argue with its position on the top 250(as I'm writing this, it's #20). While some might think it's just a typical mystery-thriller with a non-linear time-line thrown in, but it's so much more than that. Like another reviewer points out, it's not what you say, but how you say it. Between every scene in the backwards moving time-line, there is one in black and white that follows a normal time-line. This is great as a break from the scenes moving towards something you already know, and makes the mystery even harder to figure out. The great thing about this film is, not only do we experience the same confusion that the main character does, but we also find out the truth, which he learns at the beginning of the story, at the end of the film. With it comes some nice observations and truths, which I'll let you discover for yourself. I won't jot down the plot here; read a quick summary somewhere or just watch the film and find out about it. I might ruin the surprise for you, a crime greater than most. Everyone deserves to see this film and discover all of it for themselves. I will say, though, that it's brilliant. The pacing is excellent, you're never bored and you never lose interest. The acting is flawless. The characters are well-written and credible. Do yourself a favor; know as little about this film as possible. Don't ask anyone about it, don't read about it. Just rent it and watch it, you won't regret it. I recommend this film to anyone who can appreciate fine film-making, but I suppose fans of mysteries, thrillers and/or dramas might enjoy it more than people who aren't interested in those genres. I do suggest that everyone should at least consider this film. 10/10