Memento
(Sony Region 1 NTSC DVD)
(2000)
review by Died with Boots On

In one of the most provocative curtain raisers I've ever had the pleasure of wrapping my delicate mind around, our unsullied eyes – not to mention feeble psyches – are laid siege to by a scene captured in rewind. We see an image slowly fading from a Polaroid as someone's flitting wrist flickers the snapshot. The camera then focuses on a discarded cartridge being sucked back into the chamber of a small handgun, and the slumped-over form of a man take on posture.

Leonard Shelby. Mid-forties. Weathered eyes. A scar on his cheek that is the only physical manifestation of his debilitating incident. We quickly observe Mr. Shelby (Pearce) introducing himself to the proprietary of the motel at which he is staying, repeating the rehearsed line, "I have this condition. It's my memory. Since my injury I can't make new memories. Everything fades. If we talk for too long, I will forget how we started, and the next time I see you I'm not going to remember this conversation. I have no short-term memory."

This film, adapted from Jonathan Nolan's short story, the brother of he director, Christopher Nolan, "Memento Mori," follows an insurance investigator turned vigilante who sustained an irreparably damaged short term memory after intervening in his wife's cold-blooded murder, which is the last thing he holds within the confines of his memory. Tattooed across his chest is the name of the man that raped and murdered her. Well, his first name and last initial. All the facts of the murder that he cannot remember have been enshrined on his chiseled physique in dark hues of dye. As if meeting certain complex characters for the first time, he thumbs through his Polaroid snapshots catalogue for a picture of the individual with whom he is speaking, their name and several notes left to himself regarding their reliability, and other miscellaneous attributes that contribute to the plot, scrawled within the photograph's margins.

Oh, and did I mention, the entire movie plays out backwards, starting with the end, and retracing its steps to the beginning, each liaison regressing to the previous episode. This technique was executed perfectly, and turned what would have been an interesting premise unto itself into a tense, psychological masterpiece the likes of "Se7en," and yet has never been imitated, which is a smart move on behalf of today's copycat directors, for an idea this fresh and successfully unconventional can not be mirrored in greatness or improved upon. This is the movie that will forever distinguish Christopher Nolan, emblazoning his name among the greats of his generation, of our generation.

Following in the footsteps of a black and white film he wrote and directed two years earlier, "Following," no pun intended, "Memento" is just another stride for the genre. This movie also boasts a very strong performance delivered by the compelling Guy Pearce, and the pseudo-sexy Carrie-Anne Moss. There's something I forgot to mention. Complementing the central storyline, which revolves around Leonard Shelby seeking out John G. from end to beginning, we also get a taste of Mr. Shelby's life prior to the brain damaging interjected between vignettes. In a substantially admirable display of talent and craft, Christopher Nolan shoots these scenes in black and white. These black and white "bookmarks" veer in and out of the "present," and showcase an unfolding tributary in which Leonard Shelby deals with a Mr. Sammy Jankis, a man claiming to suffer the same malady that our protagonist later suffers. This divergent offshoot not only flaunts an incredible performance by Stephen Tobolowsky, but also helps to develop Shelby more as a multifaceted character with a history.

Among the generous "special features" is an option to watch "Memento Mori," which is the chronological version of "Memento." I don't know if I would recommend this feature to everyone, because it certainly detracts from the "reversed" version. However, from what I've gathered from experiments conducted on my friends, there is a handful of people that cannot follow the backwards take. In that case, the chronological cut may prove more thrilling, especially when viewed back to back with the reversed. In addition is a Christopher Nolan commentary, the script, and a new transfer along with a new DTS 5.1 soundtrack.

Bon appetite.