10 More Disturbing Plot Twists In Non-Horror Movies
6. Memento - Leonard Is Teddy's Pawn
Memento, a murder mystery that is told both backwards and forwards, is not only the arguable high-point of Christopher Nolan's career, it's also one of the smartest movies out there. One of the many things that makes the picture so ingenious is that, despite the fact it ends in the middle of the story's chronology, it still delivers an ultra-satisfying conclusion complete with a shocking plot twist.
The protagonist of Memento is Leonard (Guy Pearce, always underrated), an amnesiac searching for his wife's killer. Memento's opening, the final chronological scene in the narrative, is Leonard killing his former ally Teddy (Joe Pantoliano), which would lead many to assume Teddy was the killer. The truth is more complicated.
The final scene of the film shows Leonard killing another man, but when he starts to doubt that he's killed the right man Teddy reveals the full truth. Leonard and Teddy caught the real attacker over a year ago, and Teddy, who is a corrupt cop, has been manipulating Leonard into killing those Teddy wants dead. Furthermore, Leonard's wife survived the attack, but thanks to his amnesia Leonard got her diabetes medication wrong and accidentally killed her.
In the end, Leonard leaves himself clues that will manipulate him into killing Teddy later on, dooming himself to repeat this viscious cycle. This brilliantly bleak ending makes Memento quite possibly the saddest film of Nolan's filmography.