Our hero Leonard Shelby can make no new memories. The last thing he does remember is his wife dying. Leonard's wife has been murdered and he's been given brain damage that does not allow his mind to form new memories. He lives his life by taking notes and Polaroid pictures, the "facts" he records in tattoo form all over his body. Every time he loses his concentration it's as if he has just woken up, he is constantly assessing his situation. It is a nearly impossible way to live life. The only thing that keeps him going, is the idea of revenge against his wife's murderer. It is a genius idea for a mystery film.

The film opens with the scene going in reverse, the Polaroid photo of the man he has just killed fades away. (A metaphor for what is going on in Leonard's mind.) The dead man's blood crawls back towards its owner, he comes back to life, and the bullet jumps back into its chamber, it is a beautiful scene that represents the way the whole movie is going to work. This scene is also the end of the story, but we are completely lost as to why he has killed this man.

The way other movies have messed with time in the past, most famously Pulp Fiction, is nothing like the way Memento has chosen to work it. Each scene begins with Leonard evaluating his predicament. He "wakes" every few minutes, goes through his pockets, reads his notes, looks at his photos and somehow figures out where and what he is supposed to be doing, the scene ends, we are then taken back in time where we learn where he has just come from. Like Leonard, we are lost when each scene begins, because we don't know where he has just come from. We don't know whether Leonard is the chased or the chasee', why there is a man tied up in Leonard's closet, or why is this beer is on the house, and most importantly we don't know who to trust. We have no clue where the past is going to take us. It is a clever way of revealing the mystery. It may all seem gimicky, but it may be the only way the filmmaker could put us in Leonard's shoes. And unlike many mystery films, I doubt that anyone will be able to guess what the films final answer is going to be.

Leonard is played to perfection by Guy Pierce (LA Confidential), constantly confused, yet still cool and competent. Leonard's acquaintances, Teddy who may or may not be a cop, is played with greasy ease by Joe Pantoliano (The Matrix). Carrie Anne Moss (also The Matrix) is Natalie, a very different type of role for her. She looks beat-up most of the film and we're desperate to find out why. Again, she may or may not be Leonard's friend. You can't really trust someone when you don't even remember the last time you talked to them.