Memento
Metascore
80 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 34
  3. Negative: 1 out of 34
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  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jack Mathews
    100
    One of the most original and ultimately confounding mind games to reach the screen since "The Usual Suspects."
  2. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    100
    Pearce, who's in every scene except the Sammy flashbacks, dominates the picture through his feral performance.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    100
    Memento, which may be the ultimate existential thriller, has a spooky repetitive urgency that takes on the clarity of a dream.
  4. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: William Arnold
    100
    A delicious one-time treat.
  5. Newsweek
    Reviewed by: Jeff Giles
    100
    A gripping, utterly unexpected noir, glinting with bits of poetry and a hard, deadpan humor.
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  6. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    91
    A hard and bright and tough film in all the best ways.
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  7. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    90
    Enthralling or infuriating.
  8. Rolling Stone
    Reviewed by: Peter Travers
    90
    Like the best filmmakers at Sundance 2001, Nolan leaps into the wild blue and dares us to leap with him. Go for it.
  9. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    90
    The video stores are filled with examples of retro-noir and neo-noir, but Christopher Nolan's audacious timebender is something else. Call it meta-noir.
  10. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    90
    A provocatively structured and thrillingly executed film noir, an intricate, inventive use of cinema's possibilities that pushes what can be done on screen in an unusual direction.
  11. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Dana Stevens
    90
    A brilliant feat of rug-pulling, sure to delight fans of movies like "The Usual Suspects" and "Pi."
  12. Variety
    Reviewed by: Lisa Nesselson
    90
    Deconstructs time and space with Einstein-caliber dexterity in the service of a delectably disturbing tale of revenge.
  13. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Joe Morgenstern
    90
    Operates in an orbit somewhere between Oliver Sacks and Lewis Carroll. I can't remember when a movie has seemed so clever, strangely affecting and slyly funny at the very same time.
    All this critic's reviews
  14. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    90
    You're exhilarated from beginning to end.
  15. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Rita Kempley
    90
    Unforgettable, especially in Pearce's startling performance.
  16. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Mark Caro
    88
    A puzzle movie in which the puzzle is actually worth the time and effort to solve.
  17. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Lou Lumenick
    88
    This demanding puzzle is not for the "Chocolat" crowd, but those who stay with it will experience perhaps the most dazzling film released so far this year - even though a second viewing is virtually mandatory.
    All this critic's reviews
  18. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    88
    Terrifically satisfying film.
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  19. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Mike Clark
    88
    Has the unanticipated craft and artfully ambiguous appeal of last year's "Croupier," a movie whose art-house word-of-mouth success could be duplicated here.
  20. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    88
    The most disorienting and trippiest data-retrieval caper in years.
    All this critic's reviews

User Reviews

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User Score
9.0 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 374 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 91 out of 95
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 95
  3. Negative: 3 out of 95
  1. asthobaskoro
    10
    A Christopher Nolan's masterpiece, complex narrative is skillfully executed, keeping audiences guessing. Overall it's up to us, our interpretation, it's not just about the evidences… Full Review »
  2. stoner839
    10
    Absolutely drop-dead brilliant. You just don't see film-making like this anymore. Christopher Nolan is the genius we"ve all been waiting for. Welcome to the second revival of great film-makers. It feels good.… Full Review »
  3. CooterPatooter
    10
    Another of my all-time favorites. Deep, compelling and always toeing the line of audaciousness. Great cast, genuinely original and watchable a dozen times over. A masterpiece that got swept under the rug years ago, shamefully.... An absolute must-watch!!!… Full Review »
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