An affair to forget

>> Memento is stylish but confused

by MATTHEW HAYS

Aussie actor Guy Pearce (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, L.A. Confidential) delivers another notable performance in Memento. And it's a demanding role, for sure: Pearce plays a man who, due to a nasty head injury, has acquired a condition that knocks out his short-term memory.

Pearce recalls nothing recent. In fact, his last memory is of a brutal attack, which resulted in his head trauma and his wife's horrid murder. His mission is to avenge her death. And your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to follow along as Pearce tries feverishly to recall exactly what is going on.

Of course, a narrative concept like this allows for all sorts of possibilities. Did Pearce already kill his wife's murderer? Are his friends his enemies, and vice versa? Is he paying for only one motel room or are the proprietors taking advantage of him?

Pearce, backed up by a cast that includes Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano, manages the nuances of such a confusing and tricky role well. But he's not backed up entirely by the film itself, which works to draw us into his identity confusion via flashbacks, replays and nagging questions. Pearce knows he can't remember things, so crucial points in his wife's murder mystery are tattooed on his body for reference. He also carries a Polaroid camera with him, taking photographic evidence as he winds his way through the movie.

The identity-anxiety movie's been done before, from Paul Verhoeven's Total Recall to Wolfgang Petersen's Shattered, and here, writer-director Christopher Nolan appears to be trying to undo the entire sub-genre. As the film progresses, the theories about Pearce's life and his wife's demise become more and more like fractious dreams.

Nolan attempts to unravel a feature meditation on memory, identity and storytelling itself. And he almost pulls it off, seeing as Pearce is so good at portraying such a conflicted and confused fella. But Memento soon feels as confused as its hero, with Pearce going through the motions of revenge, still unclear as to the actual fate of his wife or her murderer.

Nolan's clearly got a strong sense of style, and the film isn't without merit, but Memento feels much like the Polaroid pictures that Pearce collects throughout--an intriguing gaggle of images that don't a feature make.

Memento opens Friday, March 23