Christopher Nolan is the kind of director who asks you to swallow two pills -- deception and murder -- and calls you in the morning. With his directorial debut, "Following," Nolan used a handheld camera and an abundance of talent to get his foot into Hollywood's door. Now, with "Memento," Nolan proves that he will be there to stay.
"Memento" begins backwards. The first scene depicts a man being murdered, in reverse and in slow motion, from a skewed camera angle. From there, the next few scenes illuminate the circumstances -- the reason for the murder and the identities of the murderer and victim. The killer is Leonard Shelby (Guy Pierce of "L.A. Confidential" fame) and the victim is Teddy (Joe Pantonoliano). As the story continues, it backs further into the past before letting the audience catch up. One learns bit by bit that to track down Teddy, Leonard has used a series of Polaroids, each of which has facts written on its backside.
Leonard suffers from a handicap that blocks his formation of new memories. He can only remember new facts for 15 minutes or so. This handicap was a result of an injury inflicted upon Leonard by a masked man who had just finished raping and murdering Leonard's wife. Left with no sustaining memories after the incident, Leonard devotes his life to seeking revenge.
Relying totally on Polaroids, tattoos and Post-It notes, Leonard starts to track down the killer. Every morning he awakens, not knowing where he is, what he is doing or why he is covered with tattoos that yield strange information like license plate numbers and instructions to avoid answering the phone.
The story plays like a cross between the "Seinfeld" episode where the story is told backwards and the Dana Carvey flop, "Clean Slate" -- only this film takes out the "funny" and adds some "freaky" instead.
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Nolan directs "Memento" with confidence and accuracy, showcasing his ability for weaving together the most complicated of tales and still leaving time to throw in some clever jokes. One of the funniest moments occurs when Leonard is running away from an armed junkie and suddenly forgets what he is doing.
Pierce tackles the role of Leonard and succeeds in bringing the character to life. While portraying a man plagued by befuddlement, unending rage and newborn innocence all at the same time, Pierce convinces the audience of his amnesic condition.
Backing Pierce up, Pantonoliano gives depth to his multipurpose character, who is at times friend, at times enemy, and occasionally serves as comic relief. The third main character in this triangle of deception, Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss of "The Matrix"), is thoroughly manipulative and plays not just with Leonard's mind, but also with the minds of audience members.
The last scenes of the movie leave the audience searching frantically to discover each character's true motivation. Is Natalie really trying to help Leonard? Is Teddy really a cop? A crook? A friend? The enemy? Can Leonard trust his own notes to help him? The questions become mixed in the end with several subtle plot twists, and the final scenes play out much like those of "The Virgin Suicides."
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Go see "Memento" for its thrills, its twists and its acting. "Memento" is a good flick that will leave you wondering for the next few days about its true motivation. I know I was left wondering what kind of movie combines "The Virgin Suicides" and "Seinfeld" together without breaking some kind of zoning law.
Grade: B
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