For the reviewers that complain of "plot holes"

Rating: 8/10 (6 January 2007)

*** This comment doesn't directly contain a spoiler, but it does reference a website (http://www.memorylossonline.com/spring2002/memlossatmovies.htm) that would spoil the movie for anyone that hasn't yet seen it ***
The first time I saw this movie, I thought it was one of the most intriguing films I'd ever seen. However, I didn't think it would hold up to repeated viewing because much of the plot complexity is achieved by careful editing, which surely couldn't work second time around. Also, I thought I had the plot mostly figured out and didn't think I'd gain that much from another viewing (especially since the soundtrack and visuals are nothing special).
Note on the editing: the story is not simply told "backwards" as some people would have you believe (each scene's time-line goes in the right direction!) but the scenes are placed (mostly) in reverse order. The narrative in Pulp Fiction also benefits from the order in which certain events are told and I still don't find that device having any adverse effect on my enjoyment of that movie. Also, I think that some people fail to realize that the main character is trying to make sense of his recent past and we are seeing events unfurl as he tries to piece together his "evidence" and use his powers of logic to uncover the truth (while other characters try to deceive him).
I'm glad to say that I was mostly wrong about having the plot figured out first time around, because I'm just as confused this time - I got to the end of the film and came to a different conclusion. I suppose this is one of the strongest features of this movie - there is no certainty. The "facts" need to be treated with suspicion and their worthiness needs to be judged. You have to interpret each scene (presented to you not from the main character's memory of course, but instead the result of his applied logic and reasoning). Even then, you can put any spin on it you like. I assumed that I wouldn't be as engaged with the movie as I was the first time, but instead I found that I was analyzing the clues in a different way. The first time I watched it, I expected a big reveal, as in the "Usual Suspects" and until now I thought I'd got it.
I have just finished watching this movie for the second time and found myself drawing different conclusions from it. In fact, I'm left thinking that I could watch this movie a third time, prejudiced by my second viewing, and still come up with a different interpretation.
There are many people who have commented on this film stating that it is full of plot holes. Few of these people care to explain what these plot holes are. Some do, and most of those people take issue with the main character's memory loss in that he remembers certain things, but not others.
http://www.memorylossonline.com/spring2002/memlossatmovies.htm Is worth taking a look at if you have already seen the movie and wish to read an informed critique on the way that "short-term" memory loss is handled in the movie.
To quote from this source: "Leonard Shelby suffers from profound anterograde amnesia, which is depicted accurately in the film". The article goes on to infer that Shelby suffers from psychogenic memory loss in addition to anterograde amnesia. This would explain why apparently Shelby doesn't want to accept the truth when he discovers it.
Usually, when I suspect the integrity of the premise upon which a work of fiction (or supposed fact) is based, I find that my suspicions are justified. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the research done for the book (upon which Memento's screenplay is based) is accurate and forms a powerful device to enrich the plot and engage the viewer, even for two (or perhaps more) viewings. Still, you can't beat the confusion you feel as you're watching it the first time.