Memento (2000)

Backwards told is film this.

Perhaps I reviewed these films in the wrong order, but I am following up The Prestige with Christopher Nolan’s earlier, and in my opinion, far greater work, Memento.

One of the first film’s I ever saw in which my mind was blown, there are very fewer stronger reveals in cinema than the closing scenes of this ambitious project.

Leonard Shelby (Pearce) suffers from a rare condition called anterograde amnesia in which he cannot store new information, he forgets it within a few minutes. What a novel concept for a film protagonist (well, we’ll come back to that)

Leonard gets by writing notes and tattooing his body with vital pieces of information that will help him fulfill his purpose in life, finding the man who raped and killed his wife.

He is aided (or is he?) by Teddy (Pantoliano) and Natalie (Moss) as he attempts to track down ‘John G’, the man who killed his wife.

Much has been written about this film’s structure, which is, for the most part, backwards, intercut with flashbacks and memories shot in black & white. 

This is not merely a gimmick to sell his movie on but a piece of genius filmmaking as without this story being told in reverse, the powerful reveal would not be nearly as powerful. 

Like Leonard, the audience is restricted in what they can remember and what information they have to go on. We experience the film as Leonard experiences life; we wake up in a new place having no idea how we got there, we are chasing a guy…oh wait, he’s chasing us. What happened in the scene that just preceded the one we are now watching? 

It is through this technique that we as an audience invest in Leonard as a strong sympathetic protagonist and we want him to find John G…

MAJOR SPOILER CITY

I have to discuss some of the spoilers in this one because they are so damn interesting. It is revealed towards the end that Leonard has already murdered ‘John G’ and that, like everything else he simply forgot. In the moments of consciousness after this murder, Leonard knowingly destroyed the evidence because his theory that in order to continue to live with this condition you need purpose and motivation, finding his wife’s killer provided that.

It is revealed that while Lenny & Natalie are somewhat helpers in this quest, they are just using Leonard to do their own dirty work, killing off people they want getting rid of.

Leonard’s main character aim is not to find his wife’s killer, his goal is to not wind up living out his day’s thoughtless in a nursing home.

Which leaves us the question, is Leonard a character we should feel sympathy towards or is he simply a mass murderer?

BEST SCENE: The short-story of Sammy Jankis, which acts as a metaphor for Guy Pearce’s character and his reason for living is beautifully acted and told in a series of black-and-white flashbacks. This is a magnificent film but it is these scenes, and how it relates back to Leonard that left me thinking long after the film was over.

BEST CHARACTER: Leonard Shelby – a character with layers and motivations that unwind themselves slowly. Brilliantly performed by Guy Pearce.

BEST QUOTE: “I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. Do I believe the world's still there? Is it still out there?... Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different.”

RATING:  ★★★★★  – From the narrative structure to the main character, from the cinematography to the score, this film is perfect. It’s thought-provoking and one of the most inventive films of the 21^st century. I have no problem Christopher Nolan pleasing Hollywood making his blockbuster Batman films if it finances him to make his own pet projects because whether it’s a hit or a miss, you know it is going to have scope and ambition.

MOVIES WATCHED:16
MOVIES REMAINING:985

Prestige, The (2006)

But I am a magician. I’m just naturally a magician.

I must first apologize for the recent shortage of updates, getting a new kitchen installed at home and things have been abit hectic.

Kicking back off today with a more recent addition to the 1001 List, Christopher Nolan’s 2006 film The Prestige and I must admit, I was a little surprised to find this one on such a prestigious (no pun intended) list.

A fine film told through the story of warring magicians, Nolan goes back to the well of exploring similar themes of obsession and duplicity that he looked at in Memento but unlike Memento this film did not have a great narrative selling point, nor was it particularly ground breaking.

The story of Angier (Jackman) and Borden (Bale) feuding to become the greatest magician is a fun ride of one-upmanship and there are fine supporting performances from the wives and love interests – Piper Perabo, Scarlett Johansson & Rebecca Hall. Too, Michael Caine playing the ‘21^st century Michael Caine role’ with Ziggy Stardust and Gollum providing the film’s scientific wonderment.

Usually I will venture into spoilers for my reviews but I will leave this one spoiler free, because I think the film really hinges on whether you A) invest into this spoiler B) are satisfied with the pay-off’s.

I fell somewhere in the middle, I was genuinely surprised by the reveal, and looking back on the story, I was surprised I didn’t spot it first time around, I don’t think it is all that well concealed. It was a somewhat satisfying ending and merited re-watch because there is an interesting narrative as to the lengths these two men are willing to go.

BEST SCENE: Hugh Jackman’s natural theatricality and charisma make all of his ‘live audience’ magical tricks a spectacle, the best of these being when he transports himself for the first time.

BEST CHARACTER: Angier/Lord Cadlow though he is set up as the more deceitful character, I actually identified with his story more, here was a magician who was willing to go one step past deception and trickery and willing to create REAL magic through science and murder.

BEST QUOTE: “You never understood why we did this. The audience knows the truth: the world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and then you... then you got to see something really special. You really don't know? It was... it was the look on their faces.”

RATING:  ★★★★– I enjoyed this film more when it first came out, in retrospect, it is still an entertaining look at man’s obsession but Nolan already exhausted that to perfection in Memento. He has since gone on to make Inception, which I also consider to be a greater work than The Prestige. The premise is really cool though and the cast is stacked, even if it has an air of Shyamalan un-rewatchability about it.

MOVIES WATCHED:15
MOVIES REMAINING:986