Hammervision's 10 Best of the Decade: No. 5

MEMENTO (2000)

I was torn with this one. I really wanted to put Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight on this "Best Of" list, and if you told me I'm crazy for not including it, I certainly wouldn't argue. But one thing's for sure - there's no denying the staggering ingenuity of Nolan's debut. Memento started off the decade on exactly the right foot. It is a heady, complicated, and attention-demanding puzzle of a film, with a superb performance from Guy Pearce and a great twist at the end. Memento is the kind of movie that challenges and rewards in equal measure. The structure of the script is nearly flawless, with the main character's short-term memory rendered in bold, vivid detail through plot mechanics and editing techniques. You're never really sure of what's going on until the very end, and even then, you still have to question all that's come before. Memento also proves surprisingly adept as a thriller, always keeping its audience on their toes. Nolan may have perfected the comic book movie with The Dark Knight, but Memento is an infinitely more clever and groundbreaking piece of work.

Here's the running list:

10. Mission: Impossible III

9. The Royal Tenenbaums

8. United 93

7. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

6. There Will Be Blood

5. Memento

4.

3.

2.

1.

Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts below, and come back soon for No. 4, as the countdown continues.

- John