Monday, March 23, 2009

Memento

I haven't seen Memento in several years, but since it is free on demand right now, I recently watched it again and may have enjoyed it even more than the first time. It is an absolutely brilliant script about Leonard Shelby, played by Guy Pearce, who suffered a brain injury preventing him from making new memories when he catches a man raping his wife - this is the last memory he has. Every morning he wakes up, his only thought is of catching the man responsible.

Since Leonard can't make any new memories, he has to meticulously keep track of everything he learns and everyone he knows with notes and photographs, and the clues to finding the man that raped and murdered his wife he tattoos on his body.

This is the film that initially introduced me to Christopher Nolan who went on to direct Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Prestige. Memento is every bit as good as any of these and the story is told in reverse, starting with Leonard killing the man who raped and murdered his wife. The film then slowly backtracks, occasionally throwing in some flashbacks, creating a sense of confusion similar to what Leonard feels. As you realize that a lot of the people he associates with are pretty sketchy, you can't help wonder if he's being used.

Guy Pearce does an amazing job and Carrie Ann Moss and Joe Pants are wonderful in supporting roles. Movies don't get much better than this. I command you to watch it as soon as possible.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I recently watched this on demand too. Yeah, it's one of the greats.