Memento

Play trailer

1:21

Memento

R

Released Sep 5, 2000

1h 56m

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

185 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

250,000+ Ratings

Leonard (Guy Pearce) is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty, however, of locating his wife's killer is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Christopher Nolan skillfully guides the audience through Memento's fractured narrative, seeping his film in existential dread.

Read Critics Reviews

Victoria Luxford

BBC.com

Very complex detective thriller. Guy Pearce (leads) a terrific cast alongside Carrie Anne Moss. If you want to see the beginnings of how Nolan became such a big director, this is one to watch.

Rated: 5/5

Aug 11, 2023

Full Review

Adam Kempenaar

Filmspotting

Think of all the ways that a linear film structure stabilizes us - the cause and effect chain of events. But Memento is about a character completely destabilized, so Nolan destabilizes us accordingly in a way maybe no other movie has.

Rated: 5/5

Apr 10, 2020

Full Review

Joshua Rothkopf

In These Times

Memento would only be half as fun with only one gimmick or the other. Instead, the backward storytelling and the frozen man make for a wonderful pair, combining into something far more redemptive than it sounds.

Mar 16, 2020

Full Review

Dan DiNicola

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)

Memento isn't an easy film, but it gives viewers plenty to ponder. And Pearce's startling performance is unforgettable.

Rated: A

Apr 30, 2024

Full Review

Akhil Arora

AkhilArora.com

Memento places you in the mind of the protagonist in a fascinating way—by running it in reverse, you only know as much as the protagonist remembers—and that constantly makes you question what you’ve been told and what you see next.

Oct 17, 2023

Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

…one of the most demanding movies ever made…one of cinema’s most ornate puzzle-boxes…

Rated: 5/5

Sep 29, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Mohamed R

A complete masterpiece throughout the ages

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/13/25

Full Review

Audience Member

Super dope hella cool not boring def should watch

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/01/25

Full Review

Colin W.

Really gets you thinking, classic Christopher Nolan masterpiece! You need to lock in for this kind of film and can’t miss a second but crazy good!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/31/25

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie made me feel as powerless and vulnerable as Leonard, which in turn made me relate to his character more in response to the betrayal he experienced without his knowing. I felt equally as out of control and confused as the protagonist because of the backwards way the movie is filmed which worked so well with the main theme the movie left me with; everyone will take you for granted, take advantage of you, and use you for there personal gain if you let them. The tragedy here is that Leonard never got the chance to let them, rather he was doomed from the start, and will never know it ever even happened. Pure cinema, 10/10.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/16/25

Full Review

Kenneth H

Perfection. Unparalleled originality. Far and away Nolan’s best feat, and laid the groundwork for subsequent films.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/11/25

Full Review

Pete B

Every now and then a movie gets made where you feel like it is the first to market with a concept and near perfect in creation. This is one of them.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/20/25

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Christopher Nolan

Director

Guy Pearce

Leonard Shelby

Carrie-Anne Moss

Natalie

Joe Pantoliano

Teddy

Mark Boone Junior

Burt

Stephen Tobolowsky

Sammy

Memento: Official Clip - My Wife Deserves Vengeance

3:57

Memento: Official Clip - I Know I Can't Have Her Back

3:05

Memento: Official Clip - Will You Remember Me?

2:49

Memento: Official Clip - Can You Get Angry?

3:47

Memento: Official Clip - When My Eyes Are Closed, The World's Still Here

3:48

Memento: Official Clip - You Make Up Your Own Truth

3:51

Memento: Official Clip - I Finally Found Him

2:00

View more videos

Inferno

20%

27%

Inferno

Watchlist

Proof of Life

39%

43%

Proof of Life

Watchlist

Eye of the Beholder

9%

32%

Eye of the Beholder

Watchlist

Hypnotic

44%

35%

Hypnotic

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Rank All of Christopher Nolan’s Movies

Memento, The Iron Giant, Blazing Saddles and More Certified Fresh Picks on Netflix and Amazon Prime This Week

Tomatometer Watch: Inception Gets First Rotten Review

Memento: Trailer 1

1:21

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Leonard (Guy Pearce) is tracking down the man who raped and murdered his wife. The difficulty, however, of locating his wife's killer is compounded by the fact that he suffers from a rare, untreatable form of memory loss. Although he can recall details of life before his accident, Leonard cannot remember what happened fifteen minutes ago, where he's going, or why.

Director: Christopher Nolan
Producer: Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Screenwriter: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan
Distributor: Newmarket Film Group
Production Co: Team Todd, I Remember Productions, Llc, Newmarket Capital Group
Rating: R (Language|Drug Content|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 5, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.5M
Runtime: 1h 56m
Sound Mix: Dolby SR, DTS, Dolby Stereo, Surround, SDDS, Dolby A, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now