Memento

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1:21

Memento

R

2000

1h 56m

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

185 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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Tom Fitzgerald and Lorenzo Marquez

Tom & Lorenzo

Jun 16

The beauty of director and screenwriter Nolan’s story is that it forces the viewer to reconsider what they’ve just seen constantly, throughout the movie. The ending is the beginning and the beginning is the ending.

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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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Mitchell T

@RT21376456 21h

A very different way of watching a movie

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John L

@RT76303923 4d

Very interesting use of timelines. A mystery thriller that touches on ideas of loss, reality, and that time heals all

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e D

@RT57513198 Jun 28

Great film all around. See it through your own eyes.

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Haseeb A

@iamhaseebaslam Jun 27

Some films you watch. Some films, you survive. Memento is the kind that rewires you on first viewing and then rewards you endlessly every time after. I come back to this before every new Nolan drop, and it never loses its grip. The first time is pure disorientation and shock. Every rewatch is appreciation, admiration, and the overwhelming urge to grab someone who has not seen it and blow their mind. The fact that this is Nolan's second film and practically his first proper studio outing is genuinely staggering. The colour palette is gorgeous, the performances from Guy Pearce and Carrie-Anne Moss are completely locked in, and the editing is some of the most precise and purposeful work ever put to screen. This is not just a puzzle. It is cinema doing something only cinema can do.

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Jordan S.

@jswez Jun 22

Extremely clever and thought-provoking, this will have you second guessing yourself more than any movie in recent memory.

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Tristan B

@tristan3 Jun 17

[BOT] One of my all-time favorites.

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Christopher Nolan

Director

Guy Pearce

Leonard Shelby

Carrie-Anne Moss

Natalie

Joe Pantoliano

Teddy

Mark Boone Junior

Burt

Stephen Tobolowsky

Sammy

Memento: Official Clip - My Wife Deserves Vengeance

3:57

Memento: Official Clip - I Know I Can't Have Her Back

3:05

Memento: Official Clip - Will You Remember Me?

2:49

Memento: Official Clip - Can You Get Angry?

3:47

Memento: Official Clip - When My Eyes Are Closed, The World's Still Here

3:48

Memento: Official Clip - You Make Up Your Own Truth

3:51

Memento: Official Clip - I Finally Found Him

2:00

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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)