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Memento (2000)

14A | | Mystery, Thriller | 25 May 2001 (USA)
Trailer
2:12 | Trailer
A man with short-term memory loss attempts to track down his wife's murderer.

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writers:

Christopher Nolan (screenplay), Jonathan Nolan (short story "Memento Mori")
Popularity
385 ( 54)
Top Rated Movies #54 | Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 57 wins & 56 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Complete credited cast:
Guy Pearce ... Leonard
Carrie-Anne Moss ... Natalie
Joe Pantoliano ... Teddy
Mark Boone Junior ... Burt
Russ Fega ... Waiter
Jorja Fox ... Leonard's Wife
Stephen Tobolowsky ... Sammy Jankis
Harriet Sansom Harris ... Mrs. Jankis
Thomas Lennon ... Doctor
Callum Keith Rennie ... Dodd
Kimberly Campbell ... Blonde
Marianne Muellerleile ... Tattooist
Larry Holden ... Jimmy

Director's Trademarks: The Films of Christopher Nolan

IMDb dives into the distinct trademarks of Christopher Nolan's directorial style to illustrate what The Dark Knight, Inception, and Memento have in common.

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Storyline

Memento chronicles two separate stories of Leonard, an ex-insurance investigator who can no longer build new memories, as he attempts to find the murderer of his wife, which is the last thing he remembers. One story line moves forward in time while the other tells the story backwards revealing more each time. Written by Scion013

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

Some memories are best forgotten

Genres:

Mystery | Thriller

Certificate:

14A | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Stephen Tobolowsky has stated that during his audition for Sammy, he had mentioned to Christopher Nolan that he had experienced amnesia personally. A few years earlier, he was given an experimental pain killer that induced amnesia for a surgery he had undergone. Tobolowsky said it may have helped him get the part, because no other actor would likely have had his first-hand experience. See more »

Goofs

When Leonard is being chased by Dodd, Leonard's window is intact, broken, and intact in successive scenes (before it is shot out by Dodd shortly thereafter). See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Leonard Shelby: [voiceover] So where are you? You're in some motel room. You just - you just wake up and you're in - in a motel room. There's the key. It feels like maybe it's just the first time you've been there, but perhaps you've been there for a week, three months. It's - it's kind of hard to say. I don't - I don't know. It's just an anonymous room.
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Alternate Versions

The Region 2 DVD contains the original movie, and the re-edited "Chronological" movie as a hidden extra within the special features menu. This can be found by pressing "enter/select" on your remote, just as the menu is about to loop back to the beginning of the menu. See more »

Connections

References The Silence of the Lambs (1991) See more »

Soundtracks

Generation Z
(2000)
Written and Performed by Monc
Courtesy of Conglomerated Industries
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User Reviews

 
watch it early so you can see something else afterward.
31 January 2002 | by adamp-6See all my reviews

I saw "Memento" in the early afternoon, a fact for which I am thankful. Why? Because it then proceeded to dominate the majority of my thoughts for the rest of the day. That night I lay in bed, tossing and turning, my mind trying to wrap itself around the story, and I absolutely could not GO TO SLEEP!

I finally just gave up on sleep, got up around midnight, and watched "Election" to cleanse my palate. Then I went back to bed and starting contemplating "Memento" AGAIN. Finally, out of sheer exhaustion, I went to sleep.

This is a movie that gets in your head and will not get out until you figure it all out. And that can only be done with extensive internet research. Reading "Memento Mori", the short story upon which the movie is "based" helped, too.

"Memento" is nothing short of a phenomenon. And a brilliant one at that.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Official Sites:

Memento | Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 May 2001 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Mémento See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$235,488, 18 March 2001

Gross USA:

$25,544,867

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$39,723,096
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1
See full technical specs »

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