Memento
2 Oscar Nominations
Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.
What critics thought
Broadly acclaimed on release, Memento built its reputation on Christopher Nolan's audacious reverse-chronology structure and Guy Pearce's committed central performance — both of which the majority of critics found genuinely innovative. The dissent, though a minority view, was pointed: skeptics argued the backward storytelling is a filmmaker's trick propping up a story that wouldn't survive being told straight, leaving intellectual admiration where emotional engagement should be.
“what really distinguishes this film is its brilliant, innovative structure”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews.net
“not only makes Memento work as a non-linear puzzle film, but as a tense, atmospheric thriller”
William Arnold·Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“In forward progression, the narrative would garner little interest, thus making the reverse storytelling a filmmaker's conceit.”
Marjorie Baumgarten·Austin Chronicle
“For all its formal wizardry, Memento is ultimately an ice-cold feat of intellectual gamesmanship. Once the visceral thrill of the puzzle structure begins to wear off, there's nothing left to hang onto. The film itself fades like one of Leonard's temporary memories.”
Sean Burns·Philadelphia Weekly
“Greater understanding helped on the plot level, but didn't enrich the viewing experience. Confusion is the state we are intended to be in.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
Genres
Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorChristopher Nolan
StarringGuy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Russ Fega
ComposerDavid Julyan
Memento
2 Oscar Nominations
Leonard Shelby is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty of locating his wife's killer, however, is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of short-term memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.
What critics thought
Broadly acclaimed on release, Memento built its reputation on Christopher Nolan's audacious reverse-chronology structure and Guy Pearce's committed central performance — both of which the majority of critics found genuinely innovative. The dissent, though a minority view, was pointed: skeptics argued the backward storytelling is a filmmaker's trick propping up a story that wouldn't survive being told straight, leaving intellectual admiration where emotional engagement should be.
“what really distinguishes this film is its brilliant, innovative structure”
James Berardinelli·ReelViews.net
“not only makes Memento work as a non-linear puzzle film, but as a tense, atmospheric thriller”
William Arnold·Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“In forward progression, the narrative would garner little interest, thus making the reverse storytelling a filmmaker's conceit.”
Marjorie Baumgarten·Austin Chronicle
“For all its formal wizardry, Memento is ultimately an ice-cold feat of intellectual gamesmanship. Once the visceral thrill of the puzzle structure begins to wear off, there's nothing left to hang onto. The film itself fades like one of Leonard's temporary memories.”
Sean Burns·Philadelphia Weekly
“Greater understanding helped on the plot level, but didn't enrich the viewing experience. Confusion is the state we are intended to be in.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
Genres
Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorChristopher Nolan
StarringGuy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior, Russ Fega
ComposerDavid Julyan