Memento Review

Maxwell Brown

Memento

Memento is a suspenseful mystery following a man named Leonard, played by the actor Guy Pearce, who is chasing down the man who murdered his wife and take revenge. Leonard suffers from a neurological condition where he has no short-term memory. Because of his condition, Leonard is forced to carry a Polaroid camera taking pictures of the things he needs to remember. The more important things he needs to remember he tattoos to his body. The obscene permanent tattoos symbolize how his life is overcome by the murder and he has dedicated the rest of his life to solving this murder. This was truly a fantastic movie and it had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

What makes this movie so fantastic is the way it is told. The movie is told from the end backwards. This was something I have never seen or thought of before. The opening scene of the movie is the conclusion to the murder mystery; Lenard takes a picture of the murderer who he confronts and shoots. This opening scene represents how the movie is filmed, by starting with the end and working its way backwards. The director chose to film the movie in this fashion in order for the audience to become engulfed and understand the situation the main character is going through. The audience knows no more than what Leonard knows. This was a magnificent idea because it gave the movie a stronger sense of mystery.

Along the way Leonard meets two other characters played by Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano. Moss had a great performance as a woman who “out of pity” helps Leonard solve the mystery of his wife’s murder.

            The only thing I can complain about in this movie is that if someone does have this type of condition, they wouldn’t know they have the condition. If the last thing Leonard remembers is witnessing his wife’s murder, the that would be the only thing he would remember. This of course would ruin the whole plot line of the movie.