Ranking Every Christopher Nolan Film From Worst To Best

Memento is one of those rare films that's just as satisfying on the first time viewing as it is in retrospect.

Christopher Nolan's breakthrough hit challenged the conventions of storytelling by playing out for the most part in reverse, with effective black-and-white flashbacks thrown in to crank up the intrigue.

His greatest feat here was putting us directly inside the head of Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), the movie's off-kilter structure giving it a hazy, amnesiac quality.

It's also a work of a immense tragedy, following a protagonist whose inability to form new short-term memories prevents him from moving on from a harrowing event.

Memento will outsmart you the first time around, but repeat viewings will only highlight how much insight into the human condition is on display as Leonard's story creeps back towards its point of origin.