The end is but the beginning of something amazing

Rating: 10/10 (4 March 2002)

I write this commentary in March 2002, long after the nominations for the Academy Awards for this year have been announced. My biggest feeling of disappointment was in the exclusion of Memento from just about every category save for writing and editing. I have read reviews of the nominations, and most of them said that Memento was excluded for being "gimmicky". The argument, they say, is that since the storyline runs backwards from the end to the beginning, it limits the creativity possible. Hogwash! So what if it's a gimmick. Why not reward them if the gimmick works? It does, here, to perfection.
The backwards-running storyline produces many moments of "aaaah, so THAT's how that happened!", feeding important pieces of the plot to the viewer in a patchwork style that keeps the viewer involved. This is not a movie for the easily distracted, as most "gimmicky" films are; this is one movie best viewed on DVD or VHS simply because there are many scenes so dense that you want to rewind them and watch them again. As the hero, Guy Pearce's performance fuels the entire story, expressing a full range of emotions and often juxtaposing opposite feelings from one scene to the next. The writing, directing, and editing are top-notch, intelligent, clever, humorous, and, when needed, brutal. Carrie-Ann Moss and Joe Pantoliano deliver excellent supporting performances, although this is becoming mere habit for Pantoliano.
Memento didn't find a mass audience because it is too intelligent for the average movie-goer. But if you don't object to actually investing a bit of yourself in the process of watching a movie, see Memento. It is far and away the best movie of 2001, and may be the best new movie I've seen in five years.