Memento (2000)
by Logan Burd
Memento (2000)
8/10 R
You’ve heard the folklore…if you play The Beatles’ “Helter Skelter” from end to beginning, you’ll hear devilish lyrics. On the contrary, if you play director Christopher Nolan’s Memento from end to beginning, it might make a bit of sense.
This complex, demanding psychological thriller focuses on the life of Leonard (a fantastic Guy Pierce), a former insurance investigator who suffers from anterograde amnesia—the inability to form new memories. Before his accident, in which his home was ransacked and his wife was raped and murdered, he can remember everything. Now, Leonard is employing the help of Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) and Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), two people he may or may not truly know, to help him find the man who murdered his wife. The revenge thriller (unlike Colombiana) has transformed greatly in this 2000 masterpiece.
Guy Pierce in Memento
Guy Pierce is fun, captivating, and fantastic in the role of Leonard. He can play the condition perfectly, and most could believe his memory is really lacking. The supporting cast is just as great, but this movie does not rely on great acting. The script (which was nominated for an Oscar) really brings this movie into the realm that it’s in. It’s an experience unlike any film I’ve seen before. To watch it once is to be confused forever, but to watch it twice is like seeing it in a different light. People always say “Each time you see the movie you pick up something new you didn’t catch before.” But with this movie, that’s true. It’s not little things, either. It might be on the third time that you finally start to figure it out. It demands to be seen and reseen.
Carrie-Anne Moss and Pierce
No more spoilers now. The movie is great, not too confusing, but thought-provoking, like Nolan’s Inception. I noticed striking resemblances to Hitchcock’s Vertigo, which is great for showing the influence of those early psycho-thrillers. Both movies involve a guy living in San Francisco with a disorder or condition that hinders his abilities as an investigator. Both begin to fall for women they probably shouldn’t. And both involve shocking ends. Kudos to Jonathan Nolan [who wrote the screenplays for The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises (both Christopher Nolan works as well)], who just happens to be Christopher’s brother, for writing the short story that inspired the movie, and using Hitchcock’s influence to inspire you. I would love to be Christopher Nolan’s brother; I would get all my scripts turned into blockbusters in a heartbeat.
Memento is great, but rent it long enough to watch it at least twice, maybe thrice. Also, watch it from end to beginning sometime after you watch it normally first. I’m just trying to help you understand all….wait, what was I saying again?
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No spoilers here, only because it was so long ago that I don’t recall any specific elements other than the overall impact of the film. I would agree that it is great! Netflix has it on streaming and it’s in my queue to watch again. And again.
You really need to watch it over and over, not out of desire but out of necessity! Thanks for reading!
I feel like the plot was a little too far-fetched for the film’s plot to actually work but Nolan’s dark and mysterious direction makes the film better and better. Good review Logan.
There are some definitely some story flaws, but it’s told so beautifully that most of them don’t make themselves obvious. Thanks for reading!
Looking forward to watching this one soon, got it on my rental list. I’ll come back and read your review properly once I have. Thanks for the spoiler alert!
I, like any movie fan, absolutely hate spoilers, so I try to make sure people see that it’s coming when I use them. I try to use them rarely, but this one had to have it! Thanks for reading, come back so you can read the spoilers!
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