MEMENTOMEMENTO
Memento is perfect film noir, with an irresistible gimmick--protagonist Leonard Shelby, an ex-cop seeking to avenge his wife's murder, has no short-term memory. Taking the mystery a step further, director and co-screenwriter Christopher Nolan tells the story in reverse chronological order, a la Pinter's Betrayal or Amis's Time's Arrow. Guy Pearce gives a star-making performance as the confused but determined Shelby, who's alternately funny, resourceful and desperate. And Carrie-Anne Moss far outshines her work as Female Badass #1 in The Matrix as Natalie, one of the main players in Shelby's story.
The story's exquisite attention to the details of Shelby's stubborn fact-gathering and self-inscription--combined with the devious manipulations of his collaborators, all of whom Shelby captures and classifies with Polaroids that serve as a sort of portable memory--makes Memento endlessly diverting. The coolest movie since Fight Club, Memento ends with an equally forceful but more satisfying narrative gut-punch than does its flashier predecessor. Unraveling all of Memento's mysteries requires at the very least a good post-movie discussion, and more likely a second viewing. Paying a visit to the extremely slick Flash website [www.otnemem.com] is a rewarding way to linger with the film or to whet your appetite, since it's spoiler-free.