The Best Movie of All Time!

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2003)

SPOILER!!!! I remember when Memento came out in 2000. I knew there was a buzz but I never saw it. Then in November of 2003 I saw it on cable and I was hooked. I submit that no one can see this movie once and understand it. I've seen this movie five times and still don't claim to have it figured out. After extensive research here's what I do know. The movie is about Leonard, an insurance investigator, who is the victim of a home invasion. Leonard's wife is raped and severely beaten. It's debateable whether she is killed, severely injured and dies sooner or later. It's even debateable whether she dies from these injuries (as I believe) or from an insulin overdose administered by Leonard (by mistake due to his short-term memory loss from injuries he sustained during the break-in). To help the viewer see things from Leonard's perspective (he has anterograde amnesia (short-term memory loss caused by trauma to the head from his attack) of only being able to remember things for 10-15 min. How you interpret what Teddy (a corrupt cop and the investigator from the incident) says to Leonard in the final scene is how you figure out the movie. I recently read an article where Joey P. (the actor who played Teddy) said the director/screenwriter told him that everything he says in the final sceen is the truth. If that is true (and why wouldn't it be) I may need to view the movie five more times to sort out all of the issues. I normally get a movie after one viewing. But, the more you scratch the surface on this movie the more you get. The color part of the movie runs from last scene (literally backwards) to first sceen (middle of movie at end). The interspersed black and white sceens run first scene (of movie) to last sceen at end and then blend into the color scenes. The newest version of the DVD allows you to program the movie to see it in chronological order. This movie is a one of a kind that people will be discussing from now on!