956. MEMENTO (2000)

Running Time: 113 minutes
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Written By: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan
Main Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Jorja Fox
Click here to view the trailer

STILL NOLAN'S BEST!

Forget the Batman movies, forget the magicians and forget about dreaming, if you want to take a look at Christopher Nolan's best film, then all you need to do is see the one about the guy who has amnesia....except it's not amnesia - "Memento".

Leonard Shelby (Pearce) WAS a normal man. He had a normal life, living with his wife (Fox) and making a decent living as an insurance investigator. Leonard Shelby HAD a normal life. That all changed when two men broke into their home, raped & murdered Leonard's wife and gave him a crack on the back of the head. The incident left Leonard with a condition called anterograde amnesia - the inability to make new memories. Leonard can remember everything clearly up until the night of the attack, but beyond that he has no short term memory. Now, Leonard is committed to finding his wife's killer and with certain facts that he knows to be true, Leonard follows leads using tattoos, Polaroids and notes to "make his life possible" and find the man that killed his wife - a John (or James), last initial "G". Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the film is told in reverse chronological order, as we're fed the movie in spoonfuls. There are also black & white segments, where Leonard talks to a man on the phone, that are used to segue into each part of the main story, told in color.

SPOILER ALERT!

Perhaps it's because I've seen this film so many times or that it has been with me for so long, but this is a fantastic film. I can remember all the hullabaloo surrounding it when it first came out. I can remember everyone thinking how "cool" it was that the story was told backwards. I can remember watching this for the first time, sitting in the bedroom that I shared with my brother and deciding that I wanted to see the film that everyone was talking about. It took some rewinding and a massive amount of pondering on my part, but at the age of fifteen, I finally understood the film...and loved it. Sure it wasn't the first film told in reverse chronology, nor was it the last. In fact, it isn't even the first film I've reviewed here that was told in reverse chronology, as "Irreversible" also used the same tactic to get it's story across. However, in my opinion, "Memento" used it in the smartest way. See, Leonard has a type of amnesia where he can't make new memories, therefore he never knows what has happened more than a few minutes prior to the present. The film puts us, the viewer, in Leonard's shoes and gives us our information backwards, so that we always feel a little like Leonard; never knowing what just happened.

Perhaps that's why the character of Leonard is so relateable and likeable, because in the time frame that this film occurs in, we know nothing more or less than Leonard. When he's confused, so are we. When he's trying to sort out a problem, so are we. Add to that the use of narration by Guy Pearce that allows us to hear Leonard's thoughts throughout the film and we've got a guy that we can completely sympathize with and understand. And speaking of those thoughts, what thoughts they are, as the Nolan's flaunt their writing talent and have some excellent pieces falling from Pearce's lips. A few favorites:

I don't even know how long she's been gone. It's like I've woken up in bed and she's not here... because she's gone to the bathroom or something. But somehow, I know she's never gonna come back to bed. If I could just... reach over and touch... her side of the bed, I would know that it was cold, but I can't. I know I can't have her back... but I don't want to wake up in the morning, thinking she's still here. I lie here not knowing... how long I've been alone. So how... how can I heal? How am I supposed to heal if I can't... feel time?

Probably burned truck loads of your stuff before. Can't remember to forget you.

Now with all this intact, we're also given a really good story about a man seeking vengeance for his dead wife. The genius thing about that is the twist at the end, when we learn that the man who killed Leonard's wife has already been killed...by Leonard! He just doesn't remember and if he does, he'll cease to have a reason for existence. Without the hunt for revenge, Leonard slips into a nursing home somewhere, where he'll sit for the rest of his days. Leonard's life will forever be the hunting of a man named John (or James) G., he'll be forever changing his clothes and sporting new rides, meeting new Teddy's and Natalie's and remembering his dead wife. A heartbreaking story, but it makes for a damn good film!

RATING: 10/10 So yeah, it's a really great movie and one that I'd easily recommend. Like THE BOOK says, it requires a strict amount of patience and attention from it's audience, but I think you'll be satisfied in the end. If you want more great Nolan films, I'd still recommend forgetting the films I mentioned at the beginning and checking out "Following" and "Insomnia", as both are very good. And, oh yeah, this IS the #1 spot of my next TOP 20...so far.

MOVIES WATCHED: 421
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 580

April 3, 2012 2:49pm