The three best (and worst) movies by Christopher Nolan
By Matthew Pyne
The best Christopher Nolan movies: Memento (2000)
Starring: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss, Joe Pantoliano, and Jorja Fox.
For only being his second feature film, Nolan’s Memento sure packs a punch. And when I say ‘punch,’ the audience will have the sensation of feeling punch-drunk during it. A story that is told backwards, Memento follows Leonard Shelby, a man with short-term memory loss looking to track down the man who murdered his wife. Each clue is given but the catch is we, as the audience, have to work backwards, subverting the generic crime story movie genre.
This movie rewards on a rewatch if you have trouble following it on the first viewing. It helps to look for clues during the first watch and then put the puzzle pieces together on subsequent viewings. I was mostly impressed by the film-making but this may also be Nolan’s most comedic film.
At one point, Leonard is running and can’t remember if he’s being chased or the one doing the chasing. We struggle right with the protagonist to understand how the plot is unfolding, but I appreciate that ask from Nolan who requires the viewer’s full attention.
Memento is also Nolan’s grungiest movie, whereas his later works certainly exude a bit more elegance. Memento is violent, unforgiving, and all-in-all a blast. It seems to be one of his least talked about films but, to me, Memento ranks second in Christoper Nolan films.
Available to stream: HBO Max