2000   USA Memento
Memento Image Cover
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Director:Christopher Nolan
Studio:Sony Pictures
Writer:Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan
IMDb Rating:8.6 (342,018 votes)
Awards:Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 42 wins & 32 nominations
Genre:Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Duration:110 min
Languages:English
IMDb:0209144
Amazon:B00003CXZ4
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Christopher Nolan  ...  (Director)
Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan  ...  (Writer)
 
Jr. Mark Boone  ...  
Russ Fega  ...  Waiter
Jorja Fox  ...  Leonard's Wife
Joe Pantoliano  ...  Teddy Gammell
Stephen Tobolowsky  ...  Sammy
Guy Pearce  ...  Leonard
Carrie-Anne Moss  ...  Natalie
Mark Boone Junior  ...  Burt
Harriet Sansom Harris  ...  Mrs. Jankis
Thomas Lennon  ...  Doctor
Callum Keith Rennie  ...  Dodd
Kimberly Campbell  ...  Blonde
Marianne Muellerleile  ...  Tattooist
Larry Holden  ...  Jimmy
Wally Pfister  ...  Cinematographer
Summary: Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) and Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix) shine in this absolute stunner of a movie. Memento combines a bold, mind-bending script with compelling action and virtuoso performances. Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, hunting down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The problem is that "the incident" that robbed Leonard of his wife also stole his ability to make new memories. Unable to retain a location, a face, or a new clue on his own, Leonard continues his search with the help of notes, Polaroids, and even homemade tattoos for vital information.
Because of his condition, Leonard essentially lives his life in short, present-tense segments, with no clear idea of what's just happened to him. That's where Memento gets really interesting; the story begins at the end, and the movie jumps backward in 10-minute segments. The suspense of the movie lies not in discovering what happens, but in finding out why it happened. Amazingly, the movie achieves edge-of-your-seat excitement even as it moves backward in time, and it keeps the mind hopping as cause and effect are pieced together.
Pearce captures Leonard perfectly, conveying both the tragic romance of his quest and his wry humor in dealing with his condition. He is bolstered by several excellent supporting players, and the movie is all but stolen from him by Pantoliano, who delivers an amazing performance as Teddy, the guy who may or may not be on his side. Memento has an intriguing structure and even meditations on the nature of perception and meaning of life if you go looking for them, but it also functions just as well as a completely absorbing thriller. It's rare to find a movie this exciting with so much intelligence behind it. --Ali Davis


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