MPAA Rating: R/ Genre: Neo-Noir Psychological Thriller/ Stars: Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, Carrie-Anne Moss, Stephen Tobolowsky, Mark Boone Junior, Callum Keith Rennie, Larry Holden, Jorja Fox, Harriet Sansom Harris/Runtime: 113 minutes
I feel it should be said that any film that manages to fit within the storied genre of film that is the mystery genre which is able to begin where it would normally conclude, tell its intriguing narrative backwards, and still accomplish its primary goal of both puzzling and intriguing its target audience in a unique and novel manner is one that is most certainly doing something right. Submitted for your approval then a film that did this, and so much more; a film by Christopher Nolan known as Memento. Told to us in the audience in reverse, and also through the gimmick known as flashback, Memento is a riveting saga of dishonesty, compulsion, and befuddlement; it is also a story about a man who is looking for the person who robbed him: not only of his wife whom he loved passionately, but of his memory as well. Indeed even though the very first shot of the movie reveals how the film ends, this is one movie where the even bigger secret of just how the story begins is saved for the very end. Indeed had it been told to audiences in the typical linear style that audiences are by now more than familiar with, Memento would have just been yet another entry in this genre albeit one that was both beautifully made and brilliantly acted. Instead of doing simply what everyone else had done before up to that point however, Nolan instead chose to make this a film the likes of which mystery lovers had never seen before, and thus by the end of the film we are left with not only more questions than answers, but also a film that has become one of the dictionary’s favorite picture definitions for the word “complex”. Indeed this is not only a film that can easily be watched over and over again, but for most mystery films the phrase “nothing is what it seems” seems like an eventuality; for this film’s main character however it truly is a way of life….
The plot is as follows: Memento tells the story of a seemingly ordinary man by the name of Leonard. A man whose chosen career path in life was once as a top-notch investigator for an insurance company, but who here lately it seems Lady Fate has other plans for. It seems one night he tried to thwart a, according to him, pair of robbers from attacking his lovely wife within their house while he was there, and in bed fast asleep. As thanks for his troubles, Leonard was knocked out cold and, despite living to talk about it, not only was his wife tragically dead, but he also found himself unable to form any new memories whatsoever. It is due to this new state in his life that Leonard has found himself having to adapt to a simple set-up of taking down notes, taking photos with an old Polaroid camera, and getting himself inked in order to help keep him up-to-date with key information he uncovers whilst he is engaged in the most personal investigation of his life: finding the man who was behind the attack on both him and his wife; a man who Leonard has never seen, but is pretty sure goes by the name “John G”. Thus this is the tale of one of Leonard’s tries at trying to find this man, but with the extra wrench thrown in for good measure that is that the story is told in reverse. However as we see Leonard, with the aid of a man he believes to be a pal by the name of Teddy and a woman named Natalie, slowly begin piecing everything together, we soon see that this might just be one of the most personal, and potentially lethal, investigations he has ever conducted and that the old adage of “no one is who they seem” perhaps being the main thing above anything else that this man should definitely try as best as he can to remember…….
Now as we see in the film itself, the character of Leonard really truly can trust no one that he encounters with the worst offender of all, quite ironically, proving to be his own memory. To that end, we quickly see that his new best buddy is not only his handwriting on pictures and the tattoos adorning his body, but also coming to discern just what his work looks like, what information he has managed to gather, and do away with any details that are wrong or dishonest in any way. Indeed it really does seem like his very existence has taken on the size, length, and width of an index card or Post-It, and the only thing he can truly rely for sure on is his gut instincts. Yet to tap into those he has had to learn to look past people he encounters’ various superficial characteristics and instead look until he manages to find just what defines them at their core. Incidentally this is also the very crux of the narrative; I say that because you see movie goer, the movie Memento is a film that is about knowledge. Not exactly knowledge of facts, personality, what car a person drives, or what they had for breakfast, and more in the vein of the little details in life that are the most crucial to know despite the majority of people letting them slip through their fingers. On top of that this is also a film where key puzzles that come up throughout the duration of the film’s runtime are not solved through superficial elements, but instead through a glance one character provides another, a tic or twitch, or just some sign that helps Leonard, and the audience through him, distinguish just where the border between what is truth and what is fabrication and who is an ally and who is an enemy truly lies.
In addition, I also feel that Memento benefits quite strongly from possessing a terrific compilation of acting talent to help bring this truly one-of-a-kind narrative vividly to life. Indeed the movie’s lead trio consisting of Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano, and Carrie-Anne Moss all manage to provide not only phenomenal turns in this, but each one of them manages to bring something distinct to the film despite the fact that they are all playing the same game of misdirection to benefit them even if for what reason isn’t always clear….at least at first. In addition it should be noted that this movie’s final reveal aka the beginning of the story does a lot more than just showcase who these characters really are more than everything else we’ve seen, but it also takes everything else we have just seen and puts it in a whole new light thus strengthening both the quality of the script, but also of the incredible performances put in especially by Pearce. Indeed this is a movie with the masterful touch of Christopher Nolan at the helm and he manages to do a wonderful job with this film. Indeed not only does he balance out the flashbacks with some gorgeous black and white images, but he also manages to get the most from his talented cast, and expertly showcases the frantic and befuddled nature of this film’s narrative as we watch our hapless hero vainly attempt to put the pieces of his life together oftentimes mere minutes after something happens to him or someone new walks into his life.
It should also be noted that this is one film that was clearly written by a pro. I say this because Memento manages to quite professionally cover every angle we could possibly think up and then some we wouldn’t thus conjuring up a quite complex yet simplistic in nature manner for our main hero to keep track of any new interactions, encounters, or experiences he has while at the same time being able to keep the audience up-to-date on the narrative and any developments that occur within the movie. Of particular note is the saga told by Leonard of one Sammy Jankis, utilized in the film both so that audiences can truly get to know who Leonard is as a character to say nothing of the ailment he is stricken with, but also as a key plot point that will come into play near the end of the film in a significant manner. Also by making the choice, from a narrative perspective, to tell this tale in reverse, an otherwise run-of-the-mill story instantly becomes an intriguing voyage through a man’s life as what is to come becomes a lot more clear as we take a trip through his past. Of course like many films that deal with a voyage through time, this film does have a few…..inconsistencies floating about, or at the very least some peculiar questions as well as situations that do not honestly make sense right away. Yet the strength of the all-in-all movie, the potency of the narrative, the terrific work from the cast, the intense sense of pace, and just how novel this film is most assuredly make up for these things easily.
All in all it is safe to say that Memento does a wonderful job at being able to both fire up the individual watching it’s little grey cells as one famous detective would call them whilst also entertaining them in equal measure to the extent that the movie manages to be one which is quite easily replayable multiple times in order to try and figure out the full story. A puzzling task made even more enjoyable by a potent and well-done manner of showing everything from a reverse chronological perspective, a brilliant narrative that is marred only by a few small little plot holes that nevertheless do not negate the enjoyment of the movie going experience you are engaged in, a group of top-notch performances from a terrific cast of dependable performers in the world, and a masterclass in director work courtesy of Christopher Nolan. Indeed it may not have the significant return on financial investment that the majority of the films in Nolan’s iconic filmography have managed to pull off, but Memento is still a film that it not only worth seeing, but a mystery you will always love unraveling and a genuine classic that the era of modern cinema has seen to bless us with. On a scale of 1-5 I give Memento “00” a solid 4.5 out of 5.
