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Editorial Review: Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) and Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix) shine in this absolute stunner of a movie. Memento combines a bold, mind-bending script with compelling action and virtuoso performances. Pearce plays Leonard Shelby, hunting down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The problem is that "the incident" that robbed Leonard of his wife also stole his ability to make new memories. Unable to retain a location, a face, or a new clue on his own, Leonard continues his search with the help of notes, Polaroids, and even homemade tattoos for vital information.
Because of his condition, Leonard essentially lives his life in short, present-tense segments, with no clear idea of what's just happened to him. That's where Memento gets really interesting; the story begins at the end, and the movie jumps backward in 10-minute segments. The suspense of the movie lies not in discovering what happens, but in finding out why it happened. Amazingly, the movie achieves edge-of-your-seat excitement even as it moves backward in time, and it keeps the mind hopping as cause and effect are pieced together.
Pearce captures
Leonard perfectly, conveying both
the tragic romance of his quest
and his wry humor in dealing with
his condition. He is bolstered by
several excellent supporting
players, and the movie is all but
stolen from him by Pantoliano,
who delivers an amazing
performance as Teddy, the guy who
may or may not be on his side.
Memento has an intriguing
structure and even meditations on
the nature of perception and
meaning of life if you go looking
for them, but it also functions
just as well as a completely
absorbing thriller. It's rare to
find a movie this exciting with
so much intelligence behind it.
--Ali Davis
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