Another Underrated Movie

Memento was a movie I had never heard of until a fellow movie fan introduced me to it sometime last summer. Frankly, I am confused as to how I missed it. The movie was well directed and intriguing from start to finish. Now, it was one of those movies that required strict attention all the way through, lest you find yourself lost and confused. Part of the reason for this is the way it was shot, sort of out of sequence and chock full of flashbacks and flash forwards. The plot necessitated this style more than some arbitrary directors choice, but it worked well.

Memento is the story of a man, Leaonard Shelby as played by Guy Pearce, whose wife has been murdered. In the process Shelby suffered a head injury that destroys his memory. Each day he awakes to find the previous day a blank. He investigates his wifes murder through the unusual method of tattooing any uncovered clues on parts of his body so that he will always have them handy to refresh his memory. He leaves notes all over the place and takes Polaroid pictures of other things that he may need to remember, including people. He labels them as friends, colleagues, etc.

Pearce is awesome in this role and I think that after watching you, like me, will wonder why we don’t see more of this actor. He was excellent in the quirky LA Confidential and equally capable in this more somber role. The movie makes a great statement on the human condition when you consider that Shelby is driven by revenge, by the desire to get even with the man who killed his wife, even though he is fully aware that he won’t remember exacting said justice. Imagine that? Driven to kill the man that murdered his wife even though the revenge will do him no good because he won’t even remember it. I don’t want to ruin the movie, but as you watch it be cognizant of the fact that an attempt is made to make some profound statements on human tendencies and flaws. Sometimes examining these messages afterwards is an enjoyable component to movie watching.

The movie is directed by Chrisopher Nolan, the man responsible for the incredibly well done Batman Begins. Nolan has begun work on a movie that teams him with the talented Christian Bale from the Batman movie, I can’t wait to see a trailer for that one. It’s called The Prestige and boasts an incredible cast that includes the aforementioned Bale, Hugh Jackam of X-Men fame, David Bowie and Scarlett Johansson. The intriguing plot summary from our friends at IMDB.com:

Bale and Jackman will play rival magicians in turn-of-the-century London who battle each other for trade secrets. The rivalry is so intense that it turns them into murderers. The title refers to the residue left after a magician's successful trick.

Keep an eye out for this one, I know I will. In the meantime, go buy Memento, you’re gonna love it.

Up Next in our series on underrated movies: Final Cut starring Robin Williams.