With the Oscars just around the corner and since Christopher Nolan's latest, Inception, is up for a few awards including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay and Best Visual Effects, I thought it would be cool to take a look back at the incredible psychological thriller that got his career off the ground: Memento. This movie stars Aussie actor Guy Pearce (The Time Machine, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert) as Leonard, a man who has a condition not unlike Drew Barrymore's in 50 First Dates, albeit with a much darker twist. He remembers everything in his life up until he suffered a gunshot wound to the head and the last thing he recalls is his wife dying. Unable to create new memories, he tries to track down his wife's murderer and every time he finds a clue he has it tattooed somewhere on his body. But can he remember what they all mean? The supporting cast is excellent as well, there's Carrie-Anne Moss ("Trinity" from The Matrix Trilogy) as a woman who tries to help Leonard get justice, although she has ulterior motives for doing so... And then there's Joe Pantoliano (The Sopranos, and the first Matrix flick as well) as Teddy, a man that seems like he's taking advantage of Leonard's short-term memory deficiency for his own personal gain. Also, there's a great and creepy cameo (shot in black and white) featuring the under-rated character actor Stephen Tobolowsky (Radioland Murders, Heroes, Glee, and most recently Californication).
The real kicker for this movie though is that it starts at the end and ends at the beginning (not
unlike that episode of Seinfeld where they went to a wedding in Africa), and each scene takes you further towards the beginning and builds layer upon layer in each of the characters' personalities. It's not until the very end, err, beginning that you fully understand what is happening to poor Leonard. This movie is so good that once it's over you're going to want to start it all over with the knowledge you gained from your first viewing. I would say more about it, but I don't want to ruin anymore than I might have already. If you've never seen Memento, you'd do well to add it to your Netflix queue or check it out at your local video store. Or even better, buy it. It shouldn't be too expensive as the movie is 10.5 years old. Bonus features on the DVD include interviews with the cast and crew and a full short story "Memento Mori" written by Christopher Nolan's brother, Jonathon Nolan which inspired Christopher's screenplay. Be sure to check out the trailer below:
VERDICT: 9.5/10
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