Most motion pictures made today have trouble telling a compelling story in a linear fashion.
For one to actually tell its story backwards and make it work takes some real chutzpah, and the new thriller Memento does just that. Any film that begins its story at the end and proceeds to tell it backwards is just asking for trouble. It is a gimmick, one that can fall apart in an instant. However, Christopher Nolan, working from his brother Jonathan s short story, defies those problems and sucks the viewer into Leonard s world, keeping us riveted as each section unfolds. Guy Pearce, who showed his wide range of diversity and acting talent in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and L.A. Confidential, turns in another impressive, multi-layered turn as Leonard, a man looking for revenge while at the same time trying to find out who he is and what he has become.