Memento (2000)
All though I've seen this movie before, I wanted to watch it again because - a. its fuckin amazing and b. Amir Khan is coming out with a Memento rip off called Ghajini which is going to suck. I hate Amir and I hope he reads this!
Christopher Nolan is one of the best directors that I've seen in my time. With other movies like The Prestige, The Dark Knight and Batman Begins attached to his name, his shot to fame was this very movie which made the whole "time - skewed movies" very cool. Movies like Pulp Fiction, Memento and Irreversible totally changed the idea of how to make a movie, the unconventional time concept way, kinda like how Albert Einstein would make a movie. I wonder if he would ever work with Hitchcock, thats a movie I'd be dying to see.
Coming back to Memento, this movie has an weird concept but, to accompany it, impecable storyline. I've seen movies in which the concept is really nice but the story lacks substance, characters lack credibilty or there plain simple no story at all. This movie has all the elements required. Except an unquestionable storyline. The plotline essentially leaves loopholes for inumerable questions - Was there really a Sammy Jenkins? (Yes) How did Lenny get out of the mental institution? (Run away, probably) Was Teddy a faker? (Yes) What about Natalie? (She killed his wife) But thats the beauty of it, it leaves it all to your imagination. Everybody who has seen the movie can have their own, mystifying interpretation of this film. And thats a pretty hard thing to do, trust me. So where people think the storyline lacks truth, I feel thats one of the greatest upsides of the film - the veiwer can write his own ending!
So here mine - I think Natalie killed Leonard's wife. I think they were having an affair to begin with. But Natalie was a drug junkie in search of only one thing - money. Sometimes Dodi, sometimes someone else. This time Leonard. Things got a little out of hand the night she tried to steal from Lenny house so she hit him on the head. She got lucky with Lenny having this memory condition. Sammy Jenkins was real and John G was not. Pretty far fetched, but I've heard much intricate versions of different plotline from my friends.
About the filming, the director makes no special efforts making it slick or colour toned. The movie speaks for itself. The reverse chronological order is done magnificently. And Guy Pearce, who I haven't seen much of and I don't have to guess why, has been potrayed very well by the director. Yes, I would've preferred a better actor, but not someone whose aura would take over the storyline. Maybe thats why this Guy fits the role well.
Maybe the best Memento that Leonard could have of his wife was the insulin needle that he used to make tatoos!!!
Rate - 4.5/5
Trivia : Christopher Nolan's directoral debut? Following.
There you go..this is what happens !! "Teddy is the mysterious caller.He tells Lenny that the murderer is a drug dealer,and that he can be found at an abandoned warehouse.Lenny goes to the rundown building and kills a man named Jimmy Grants.A few minutes later, Teddy arrives,and Lenny discovers he has been tricked.Jimmy Grants was a drug dealer but did not have anything to do with his wife's killing.Teddy reveals that Leonard's wife survived the robbers' attack,but she died from an insulin overdose administered by Leonard.Teddy claims to be police officer John Gammel.He says he took pity on Leonard and helped him track down and kill the real John G.more than a year ago.Teddy thought that killing the second man would regain Leonard's memory back.However, Leonard forgot this happened and began searching for John G. again.Teddy finally admits to manipulating Leonard to kill Jimmy for the $200,000 in the drug dealer's car.Before Lenny can forget Teddy's revelations,he sets himself up to kill Teddy.He records Teddy's license plate number as John G's.Leonard takes Jimmy's clothing and car and drives to a tattoo parlor.At the parlor,Lenny finds a note in his pocket from Jimmy's girlfriend Natalie.Forgetting that he is wearing Jimmy's clothes,he thinks the note is for him and goes to the bar where Natalie works. After meeting her, he tells her about his condition.Natalie offers to help Leonard, but she later tricks him into going after a man named Dodd,who has been harassing her for the money from Jimmy's prior drug deals.After getting rid of Dodd for Natalie, she in return has John G's license plate traced.She gives Leonard a copy of John Gammel's driver's license,and he matches it to his photo of Teddy.He concludes Teddy is the "John G" who he has been looking for and is the man who raped and killed his wife.He takes Teddy to the building where Jimmy was killed,and shoots him in the head."
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