Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critics What's this?

User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 371 Ratings

  • Starring: Carrie-Anne Moss, Guy Pearce, Joe Pantoliano
  • Summary: Dismissed by the police, Leonard Shelby (Pearce) is obsessed with pursuing vengeance for the rape and murder of his wife. The difficulty of his quest is compounded by his rare, untreatable form of memory loss.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 34
  2. Negative: 1 out of 34
  1. One of the most original and ultimately confounding mind games to reach the screen since "The Usual Suspects."
  2. 80
    Nolan's engrossing, backwards-ticking noir will run you so thoroughly in circles that you'll need to see it at least twice for maximum enjoyment.
  3. Feels mostly like an audacious prank.
  4. 38
    The dramatic content in Memento is as blank as Leonard's post-traumatic mental state.

See all 34 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 91 out of 95
  2. Negative: 3 out of 95
  1. marshallm.
    10
    On my top 5 fav list! captivating and original, u may need a second veiwing to get what it means, but you wont mind seeing it again and again and again. Expand
  2. A well written, well acted mind bender. The first case for Nolan's genius. Like all Nolan films if your looking for plot mistakes, you will undoubtedly come up with some. Also like Nolan's other films it is endlessly smart, entertaining and ambiguous. I won't say much more, this is definitely a movie to see before reading anything about. Expand
  3. The creative plot-line and story are the highlights of Christopher Nolan's film. He took what could have been an average story and made it really stand-out with his daring plot devices. The cinematographic elements are of above-average quality, while the screenplay gives it's best fight at ruining the film altogether (aka the constant narration). It is an entertaining piece, could've been excellent with a few tweaks in the way of dialogue. (Officially I would give a 6.5, but that is not an option). Expand
  4. I now know what is wrong with Christopher Nolan movies. The characters are lifeless. They are not real people. There is no vulnerability, no character development, the dialogue is static and robotic. No real person speaks like that. I can see the intention to create depths in the characters, but this is clearly not the way to do it. This movie is just nauseating to watch. From minute one, you see that the main character's hair is dyed...you wonder why that is. The way everyone looks is always...too deep, unreal, like they are on drugs, not connected to the real world. Expand

See all 95 User Reviews

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