Reviews of Memento

Good thriller done in a interesting way

Posted : 5 months, 1 week ago on 26 February 2008 01:01 (A review of Memento)

When I first saw the trailer for this movie back when it came out I thought the movie premiss was interesting.
Now that I've seen it I would have to say that that premiss was fulfilled.
Basically, as Prelude said, the story is done backwards where you see the end of the story first and the beginning last. It's a interesting approach that was done before in Irreversible but fits the whole movie.
Guy Pearce plays a man who is trying find the man who raped and killed his wife and left him with only short term memory unable to commit any new memories to long term memory. Beginning at the end is interesting concept as the audience knows what's the conclusion is but now have to watch and see how Guy Pearce's character reached that conclusion.
Acting by Guy Pearce was wonderful and also Joe Pantoliano did a great job as both brought their characters to life.
Sound was solid across the board with great fitting music that didn't force emotions or preempt what was coming next.
In whole Memento is a good thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed and a must see for all movie buffs.

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not much too added - excellent film

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 1 May 2007 10:19 (A review of Memento)

I really don't have much to add to Prelude76's review, since I agree 100% with what is written. The story was certainly interesting and well directed. I can't imagine other actors in those roles. The editors must have enjoyed working on this film, since the story works backwards. It's a film that, finally, asks the audience to think, it's not just entertainment. The audience is captivated and engaged in Lenny's search for his wife's killer. Recommended movie, for all thriller and suspense lovers. (And I certainly will check out Nolan's previous film.)


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The perfect murder mystery film

Posted : 1 year, 3 months ago on 27 April 2007 01:05 (A review of Memento)

It's quite amazing how this film, based on a short story by director Nolan's brother, has turned into such a blockbuster hit. The film feels low budget as its a purely character driven movie and its all filmed on 4 or 5 locations; a motel room, a girl's house, a bar, an abandoned house. But three things make this the ultimate murder-mystery:

1. Acting is completely stellar by everyone involved, most notably by Guy Pearce and Joe Pantoliano.

2. The story is very engaging and powerful, about Pearce trying to determine who killed his wife while battling with short-term memory loss.

but most importantly,

3. The Direction of the film and its reverse-order story mode. For the ones who haven't seen it, the film follows Guy Pearce starting from the end, then each morning he wakes up is actually the previous day, almost like a daily countdown back to the start, when the wife got killed. It may sound confusing (and in a way, it is) but it has the added benefit of leaving the audience completely in the dark, as everyone around him knows what's happening while he (and the audience) are trying to pick up on all the clues. And each new day (which is actually previous day) gives new clues to the audience, and it just keeps escalating until the shocking end (or is that the beginning?) :)

Anyways, if you haven't seen it, go see it now. It's truly a film that will become a legend for a long time to come.

And if you have seen it, go check out Nolan's previous indie film, 'Following', which is a similar film-noir where he experimented with a non-linear timeline as well.

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