'Memento' review by Captain Raptor

'Memento' review by Captain Raptor

In conclusion, Memento is an intelligent and masterfully executed film that will arouse every passion in your brain even if it evokes very little in the heart. It would have been nice to see stronger characterisation or more emotive performances, but Memento's unique storytelling methods and fascinating narrative are a real treat, rivalled by very little else that I've seen. It's not something to watch casually, and (you might see this as a good or a bad thing) it demands a lot more from the audience than most films, but it's a really rewarding watch.

All the other elements are functional, if not astounding. All the cast put in solid performances, but none of them are anything particularly special (although I was surprised to see the extent of the acting ability of Stephen Tobolowsky, Groundhog Day's own Ned Ryerson). Guy Pearce was convincing as the memory-lapsing lead, but this might have more to do with his naturally confused-looking face. The characters aren't hugely memorable, or very highly developed, but they all serve their purpose well enough. This isn't much of an emotive film, and the need to pay close attention to what's happening means that there isn't a lot of time to explore feelings. Speaking of which, I'm feeling this review coming to an end...

The movie's primary achievement lies in its triumphant storytelling. The protagonist's inability to form new memories means that, much like the audience, in every scene he doesn't know what's previously happened. We start not so much with unanswered questions but with no clear idea of what is happening. Then we get unanswered questions, and then we get confusing answers, and all in all the film is a wonderful, enthralling mix of intrigue, twists, lies and half-truths. It's trademark Nolan intelligence, framed well by his constant ally, director of photography Wally Pfister, especially in the opening scene that's played entirely in reverse. Things do get quite confusing, and I'd be lying if I said I was totally confident about what had happened, but that's undoubtedly intentional, and the challenging narrative just piques the viewer's interest.

If you weren't aware, Memento is a film that takes place in reverse chronological order. It ends with conflict resolution, and each succeeding scene shows the events leading up to the scene you just watched. It's directed by Christopher Nolan, because who else would make a non-linear memory-based ambiguous thriller? He's one of my favourite directors, even though I've only seen about half of his body of work, so I jumped at the chance to see another of his acclaimed movies, especially in advance of this year's Interstellar. So, on with the review.