DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
STARRING: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano.
REVIEW: Distinguished director Christopher Nolan comes out with his second directorial venture 'Memento', and this one surpasses every movie of its genre.
The first fifteen minutes of the movie are completely undecipherable to the viewer, as it takes time for the audience to figure out the unique style of multiple narratives and reverse story-telling used by the director. After that, though, the movie grips your senses and takes you on a suspense-filled ride, and the suspense does not end until the credits start rolling down. The climax of the movie takes you off-guard and you keep on deciphering the plot of the movie right until the way back to your home. You have to watch it at least twice to understand each and every scene and dialogue of the film.
The film stars Guy Pearce as 'Leonard Shelby', the protagonist of the movie, who is a former insurance fraud investigator. All throughout the running time of the movie, Leonard is hunting for the mysterious person who raped and killed his wife. The glitch is that he suffers from 'interograde amnesia', a situation in which a person's brain cannot store any new memories. He contracted this disorder when he was hit by the person who raped his wife, when he was trying to save her.
In order to cope with his disability, Leonard takes aid of tattoos, notes, and photographs to keep him on track of his wife's killer. He is also frequently helped by a bartender Natalie (Carrie-Anne) and a suspicious man called Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), who claims that he is Leonard's friend, both of whom who are untrustworthy.
The movie has a great concept, and a taut screenplay. Guy Pearce acts marvelously well, especially in scenes when he forgets his whereabouts and the identities of people he meets. Carrie-Anne Moss does full justice to her character, though her dialogue delivery is somewhat sloppy. Joe Pantoliano acts wonderfully, as usual.
This one is my personal favorite in the genre of psychological thriller. But that doesn't mean that it is flawless. The movie pace is generally slow, hence it might disappoint action buffs. The plot requires a slow advancement, so as to let each and every character develop deeply.
Nolan is a master film-maker, and steers the movie through the mind of the protagonist, delivering a gripping thriller. He focuses more on the mentality of the characters, rather than the physical elements of the story. It somewhat reminds me of the short story 'The Sphinx without a Secret' by Oscar Wilde.
All in all, this one is a must-watch, and your Hollywood viewing is incomplete without watching 'Memento'.
RATING: A sure 4.5/5 for mind-boggling plot, mesmerizing direction, and over the top acting.
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