(Rated R, 116 mins.)
Leonard (Guy Pearce) is an insurance investigator whose suit looks like he’s slept in it for days. He has short-term memory following a head injury he sustained after intervening on his wife’s murder. Leonard desperately wants revenge for his wife’s murder, but he can only remember his life by tattooing notes on himself, and taking pictures of things with a Polaroid camera. The movie is told in forward flashes of events that compensate for his unreliable memory, during which he has liaisons with various complex characters. Stars Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano as tempting bad guys whom manipulate Leonard into possible murder. Pearce’s performance is as gripping as his stardom rise in “L A Confidential” displaying intelligence coupled with a rare mix of cool chaos. The story is mainly narrated, told backwards, thus opening with the climax of a brutal murder. The characters, despite their involving performances, will not be what peaks your interest. It’s the voice over, in which you’ll cling to every word, object, cut and clue to make sense of what’s unfolding. Backwards.
