Memento
4/4
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
Rated R for Violence, Language, and Some Drug Content
Memory is an amazing thing. We rely on it so much that we don't even realize that we're using it. It's impossible not to take it for granted. With "Memento," the film that put Christopher Nolan on the map, we see how difficult life can be without it.
Leonard (Pearce) is on a mission: he wants to find the man who murdered his wife (Jorja Fox) and kill him. But there's a problem in Leonard's way. Leonard has anterograde amnesia, which means that he can't make new memories. The last thing he remembers is watching his wife die. He does have help on his side, however. Teddy (Pantoliano), a chatterbox who helps him chase down leads and Natalie (Moss), a vulnerable woman who helps him because she bears a similar sense of loss. But are they really helping him, or are their motives less than altruistic? And who is this Sammy Jankis that Leonard talks about?
The true genius of the film is not that Nolan is able to weave so many plot elements and questions about the human mind together in a compelling story with three dimensional characters, but that he does so in a stark and original way. Filmmakers have long since played with timelines (such as starting in the middle and going back to the front and so on), but never has a filmmaker so completely warped his timeline. There are two different story-lines: Leonard's story and Leonard's phone call about Sammy Jankis. Leonard's story is told in reverse chronological order, while his phone call is told chronologically. There is a method to this madness, however. It gets us inside the mind of Leonard. Although we never see the story how he sees it, it has the same effect while having another one entirely. We don't know who to trust or what to believe, just like Leonard. But by viewing it from an outside perspective as an audience member, we see how are perceptions of the characters change the more we find out about them.
The performances are top notch. Guy Pearce, an Australian actor who is impeccable even in the worst of films ("Animal Kingdom," for example...or the recent "Lockout") is brilliant here. Leonard is such a complex character, and because of how the film is written and directed, that it must have been an almost impossible challenge for an actor. But Pearce does it. At one point Brad Pitt was interested in the role, but it's impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Despite all the storytelling tricks, we come to care about Leonard. Carrie-Anne Moss portrays Natalie as someone who is far different than Trinity in "The Matrix" franchise. Natalie is by turns vulnerable, angry and malevolent. Her "Matrix" co-star, Joe Pantoliano, is on hand for comic relief (of sorts), although he's just as suspicious as Natalie.
But, like with all his movies, the lion's share of the credit belongs to Christopher Nolan. Nolan set a high bar for himself with his first shot at the big time. And he hit it right out of the park. This is a challenging and intellectually demanding movie. It requires active participation on the part of the viewer. Sitting back and dozing off are recipes for getting lost. And yet, the film never becomes self-indulgent. Nolan has a method to his madness, and never shows off. He also (as usual) cultivates strong performances from his cast. Moss and Pantoliano have never been better than they are here.
The film has come under fire as having a big plothole. If Leonard can't make new memories, than how can he remember that he can't? But psychologists say that this is a very realistic portrayal of amnesia. Either way, it's still an amazing movie.
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano
Rated R for Violence, Language, and Some Drug Content
Memory is an amazing thing. We rely on it so much that we don't even realize that we're using it. It's impossible not to take it for granted. With "Memento," the film that put Christopher Nolan on the map, we see how difficult life can be without it.
Leonard (Pearce) is on a mission: he wants to find the man who murdered his wife (Jorja Fox) and kill him. But there's a problem in Leonard's way. Leonard has anterograde amnesia, which means that he can't make new memories. The last thing he remembers is watching his wife die. He does have help on his side, however. Teddy (Pantoliano), a chatterbox who helps him chase down leads and Natalie (Moss), a vulnerable woman who helps him because she bears a similar sense of loss. But are they really helping him, or are their motives less than altruistic? And who is this Sammy Jankis that Leonard talks about?
The true genius of the film is not that Nolan is able to weave so many plot elements and questions about the human mind together in a compelling story with three dimensional characters, but that he does so in a stark and original way. Filmmakers have long since played with timelines (such as starting in the middle and going back to the front and so on), but never has a filmmaker so completely warped his timeline. There are two different story-lines: Leonard's story and Leonard's phone call about Sammy Jankis. Leonard's story is told in reverse chronological order, while his phone call is told chronologically. There is a method to this madness, however. It gets us inside the mind of Leonard. Although we never see the story how he sees it, it has the same effect while having another one entirely. We don't know who to trust or what to believe, just like Leonard. But by viewing it from an outside perspective as an audience member, we see how are perceptions of the characters change the more we find out about them.
The performances are top notch. Guy Pearce, an Australian actor who is impeccable even in the worst of films ("Animal Kingdom," for example...or the recent "Lockout") is brilliant here. Leonard is such a complex character, and because of how the film is written and directed, that it must have been an almost impossible challenge for an actor. But Pearce does it. At one point Brad Pitt was interested in the role, but it's impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Despite all the storytelling tricks, we come to care about Leonard. Carrie-Anne Moss portrays Natalie as someone who is far different than Trinity in "The Matrix" franchise. Natalie is by turns vulnerable, angry and malevolent. Her "Matrix" co-star, Joe Pantoliano, is on hand for comic relief (of sorts), although he's just as suspicious as Natalie.
But, like with all his movies, the lion's share of the credit belongs to Christopher Nolan. Nolan set a high bar for himself with his first shot at the big time. And he hit it right out of the park. This is a challenging and intellectually demanding movie. It requires active participation on the part of the viewer. Sitting back and dozing off are recipes for getting lost. And yet, the film never becomes self-indulgent. Nolan has a method to his madness, and never shows off. He also (as usual) cultivates strong performances from his cast. Moss and Pantoliano have never been better than they are here.
The film has come under fire as having a big plothole. If Leonard can't make new memories, than how can he remember that he can't? But psychologists say that this is a very realistic portrayal of amnesia. Either way, it's still an amazing movie.
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