Memento

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1:21

Memento

R

2000

1h 56m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

184 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Leonard (Guy Pearce) is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty, however, of locating his wife's killer is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

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Critics Consensus

Christopher Nolan skillfully guides the audience through Memento's fractured narrative, seeping his film in existential dread.

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Victoria Luxford

BBC.com

08/11/2023

5/5

Very complex detective thriller. Guy Pearce (leads) a terrific cast alongside Carrie Anne Moss. If you want to see the beginnings of how Nolan became such a big director, this is one to watch.

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Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

04/10/2020

5/5

Think of all the ways that a linear film structure stabilizes us - the cause and effect chain of events. But Memento is about a character completely destabilized, so Nolan destabilizes us accordingly in a way maybe no other movie has.

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Joshua Rothkopf

In These Times

03/16/2020

Memento would only be half as fun with only one gimmick or the other. Instead, the backward storytelling and the frozen man make for a wonderful pair, combining into something far more redemptive than it sounds.

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Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

04/30/2024

A

Memento isn't an easy film, but it gives viewers plenty to ponder. And Pearce's startling performance is unforgettable.

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Akhil Arora

AkhilArora.com

10/17/2023

Memento places you in the mind of the protagonist in a fascinating way—by running it in reverse, you only know as much as the protagonist remembers—and that constantly makes you question what you’ve been told and what you see next.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

09/29/2023

5/5

…one of the most demanding movies ever made…one of cinema’s most ornate puzzle-boxes…

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Benjamin W.

@Code70 Mar 25

Christopher Nolan’s first proper film is still one of his better ones (and that’s really saying something). The film is ridiculously smart, told in nonlinear fashion with an interesting lead in Guy Pierce. It’s one of the director’s bleaker films to date, ending on a pretty depressing but nonetheless brilliant and satisfying note that matches everything it set up. Whenever you think you’ve got it, Nolan is always one step ahead of you, and it’s always better than you thought it would be. A brilliant debut feature film. It’s still one of his smartest scripts, and has aged pretty well.

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Ben W

@Username618 Mar 21

Spoiler alert. So. This film, whether you like it, does depend a bit, on whether you thought Groundhog Day needed more people being shot in the head. Pause. It's ever so clever, and presented in reverse- and still sort of follows. But. A bit like Figaro giving the audience a knowing look (or Frankie Howerd in Up Pompeii- but crueller )- or other things like that... You as audience do need the director Christopher Nolan telling you the story, because the given narrator has a memory problem. Which I'm sure they thought about when making. Could argue, we audience see an impression of what life is like with a memory prob, but. We also have insider knowledge.

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Mihad K.

@Mihad Mar 18

Wtf did I just watched.... already my top 5 movies..... really fked my mind How can someone even come with this plot... Nolan is genius. Great acting especially (guy Pearce and joe).. Blowed my mind indeed.

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Thyaagu C

@Thyaagu Mar 15

A tragedy of denial: vengeance achieved repeatedly, but always hollow and wrong. Feels like chasing your own shadow in a hall of broken mirrors.

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Tiara B.

@bb.tiara Mar 13

Another favorite movie by Nolen. The best director of this generation imo!!!!!

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Jerrod G

@Jag1337 Mar 8

Seen this style of film before but definitely one of the best, Love the ending.

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Christopher Nolan

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Guy Pearce

Leonard Shelby

Carrie-Anne Moss

Natalie

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Memento: Trailer 1

1:21

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Synopsis

Leonard (Guy Pearce) is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty, however, of locating his wife's killer is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

Director: Christopher Nolan
Producer: Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Screenwriter: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan
Distributor: Newmarket Film Group
Production Co: Team Todd, I Remember Productions, Llc, Newmarket Capital Group
Rating: R (Language|Drug Content|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 5, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.5M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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