Review of Memento (2000) by James S — 28 Mar 2015

A very good, cerebral film that puts a unique twist on a murder investigation. Without revealing too much ('cause it's much better to let the film explain it by itself), the film is presented in a non-linear fashion, and invited you to piece the plot together. The good news is, the film doesn't jump around at random; you get an idea of how it's moving temporally about halfway through the movie. As a result, rather than the climax building towards the end of the investigation, the climax occurs in the 'middle' of the movie.

The intriguing concept is held together with some good acting. Pearce plays our protagonist well, showing his memory issues as well as his somewhat impassive face. Carrie-Ann2 Moss gives her best performance I've ever seen here, showing a wide range of emotion. I also enjoyed Joe Pantoliano, whose acting I am growing to respect quite a bit.

This is not a film for casual viewing. As with many Nolan films, it requires concentration and a brain that is very much turned on. If you enjoy that sort of thing, definitely give Memento a watch. I also suspect that it will continue to be enjoyable after multiple viewings.