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"Memento" is one of those pictures that I found myself desperately wanting to see, but every time I was in the video store and considered purchasing the title, there was always something I wanted a little bit more. After much delay, I finally broke down and purchased a copy of the DVD with a little extra cash I had received for Christmas. I had heard many great things about the film, and its User Rating on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has always been astronomical. As of the writing of this review, the film has amassed an incredible 8.8 score and sits at #11 all time. When I finally sat down and watched this film on DVD, I quickly realized that I had been missing out on watching an incredible film, and now "Memento" sits as one of my top films of 2000, and a picture that I strongly recommend that everybody see.
Watching "Memento" for the first time gave me a similar feeling to my first experience with Quentin Tarantino´s "Pulp Fiction." That film resides as one of my all time favorites, and I applaud it or its great storytelling, dialogue and Tarantino´s direction that has the events unfold in a non-linear manner. Christopher Nolan´s "Memento" features all of the great qualities I found in "Pulp Fiction," and it plays with the story´s physical structure to deliver a film in an entirely new manner. Nolan delivers "Memento" backwards. The final scene of the movie happens during the opening credits, and scenes are playing in an order that shows what happens directly before the previously seen scene. The final scene shown in the film is actually the first events that take place in the story. This presentation, and the solid story that backs this manner of storytelling should not be missed.
Could you imagine living your life from day to day and having no ability to remember anything that happened just moments before? In "Memento," Leonard Shelby (Guy Pierce) has exactly this problem. The last memory he has is that of the murder of his wife. Every morning he awakes, he has to remember that she is dead. Leonard has no idea how much time has passed since his wife was murdered, but he has no idea of what has happened to him since, or what actions he has taken. He lives his life to kill the murderer of his wife. He tattoo´s his body to remind him of his purpose and to keep track of any clues or information that may lead to the retribution he seeks. Polaroid pictures and notes are all that he has to help him remember faces and what relationship he has with people. It is also the only way he can remember where he is currently residing and what car he drives.
In the picture, he is tracking down a white male with the initials J.G. Along the way, he has made a friend named Teddy (Joe Pantoliano) that meets him every morning and is aiding him in his search for his wife´s killer. Teddy is not to be trusted, and Leonard does not know where Teddy comes from and what his purpose is, but Leonard spends his days with Teddy. He also finds a lover and a helper in Natalie (Carrie-Anne Moss), who has her own reasons to help Leonard. Though he has no idea of who these people are and why they are helping him, Leonard needs them to help find J.G. Every day he tells them the story of Sammy Jankis (Stephen Tobolowsky) and how he suffered from the same condition.
With the help of Teddy and Natalie, Leonard finally builds a case that leads him to the man who has taken his memory and his wife. Leonard suffers abuse and insincerity those have with him because of his condition. At times he remembers that Leonard and Natalie may be using him for their own purpose, but he feels confident that they are leading him to the person he is looking for. The manner in which the discovery of his killer and the final revelation of the killer´s identity unveil quite a few plot twists and interesting side stories.
Guy Pearce and Joe Pantoliano shine in their roles as Leonard and Teddy. The story is dark and foreboding in nature. It is not intended to be happy and joyful, but the mild comedy injected by Pearce and Pantoliano elevates the picture and keeps it from becoming too dark. They also show a very human side that does allow you to believe in Leonard Shelby and his condition. Pearce easily plays a character that is vulnerable, yet driven to succeed in his goal. You feel pity for the character as he continues to hunt down and hopefully kill a man that may or may not be the killer he is seeking. Pantoliano´s Teddy is likable, though seedy enough that you can see why Leonard mistrusts him. The films great story and solid direction are not let down by bad performances. Pearce and Pantoliano´s performances add to the incredible viewing experience of the film.
"Memento" is an incredibly entertaining story that is even more entertaining with additional viewings. Once the relationships and motives of the characters are learned, the second and consecutive viewings show how they plot to use Leonard to accomplish what they want done. Teddy and Natalie become entirely different characters after the first viewing, and even Leonard is watched in an entirely different light. It is not often that a film is composed with the amount of complexity that "Memento" is composed with. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, its wonderful performances and director Nolan´s storytelling the first time around. The second time, it was a different viewing experience and I enjoyed it no less. I found myself carrying "Memento" around the video store a few times before I finally purchased it. My recommendation is do not do this yourself. Buy it the first time and I promise you will be rewarded.
Video:
Instead of simply repackaging the first transfer, it is readily apparent that Columbia TriStar has delivered an improved transfer of the film. The film is presented in the same 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen ratio of the first release. However, an A-B comparison between the two discs showed the newer DVD improves upon the black levels, detail, color and eliminates the edge enhancement problems of the first DVD. Blacks are now very deep and show excellent shadow detail. The previous release had a slightly red tint to fleshtones. I was simply amazed at the improvements made over an already good transfer. Columbia TriStar also continues to impress me with the incredibly clean source prints they master their DVDs from. You rarely ever see any flaws in the film, and "Memento" exhibits no scratches or dirt and is even clean of film grain. This is simply a top-notch transfer and shows why Columbia TriStar is one of the best when it comes to DVD.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]9777[/release]