synopsis : leonard shelby ( pearce ) is a former insurance investigator on the trail of the man who killed his wife .
leonard has only a few clues to the murderer 's identity ; to make matters worse , he suffers from a condition which inhibits the creation of short - term memories , meaning that leonard is always forgetting what happened just minutes earlier .
because of this , leonard is forced to rely on notes he leaves for himself .
" memento " traces the investigation back in time from its apparent culmination .
review :
" memento " is the sort of movie i wish i 'd written ; i can think of no higher praise than that .
i am envious that nolan has concocted such a brilliant , involved , original movie as this .
an instant film noir classic , " memento " is virtually flawless .
the script is unlike any i have ever seen -- a notable achievement in these days of recycled hollywood homogeneity .
although the idea of starting at the " conclusion " of the plotline and then moving backward in time to the " start " is not entirely new , never before have i witnessed it executed with such flair and coherence .
" memento " is endlessly exciting and inventive , a rare story which keeps the viewers guessing during the film itself , and mulling over its connotations long after leaving the theatre .
and it is not merely an exercise in cerebrality ; there is plenty of action and an unexpected dose of humour to keep the proceedings lively .
nolan 's direction is equally effective , never losing its crispness and clarity despite " memento " 's challenging gimmick .
and to top everything off
, all the performances rise to the occasion .
pierce is terrific
as the troubled leonard ; moss shows great range as enigmatic natalie ; and pantoliano 's teddy achieves a splendidly affable yet sinister quality .
" memento " may be the year 's best screenplay , and is certainly amongst the top theatrical attractions of 2001 .
all the performances rise to the occasion plenty of action and an unexpected dose of humour executed with such flair and coherence shows great range the script is unlike any i have ever seen achieves a splendidly affable brilliant , involved , original movie the year 's best screenplay endlessly exciting and inventive virtually flawless equally effective instant film noir classic amongst the top theatrical attractions a rare story which keeps the viewers guessing terrific a notable achievement