Complex and fascinating film, probably the best of 2001

Rating: Null/10 (18 March 2002)

I would like to begin by answering common problems some had with this.
"How can he remember his wife dying if he has this condition?"
On several occasions we are reminded that the last thing Leonard remembers is the struggle in the bathroom, getting his head slammed against a mirror, and lying sideways on the floor facing his brutalized wife.

"How can he remember that he has this condition?"
That's a good question, and you could go two ways: suspend disbelief or assume that he had a note or tattoo somewhere reminding him of his short-term memory loss. Or maybe it was acquired through instinct, as told in the story of the accounting executive Sammy Jenkins. Make something up.
This is a picture that you will have to see many times despite what is revealed at the end of the film (or the opening of the story which is at the end, as this is all told backwards.) It's not how it first appears - the actions of all the characters, however brief they may be, all play an important role in what goes on.
I'm not going to give anything away. See it for yourself.
Deserved way more Oscar noms - for the directing, acting, and best picture for such slick production on a tight budget.