He no longer has the ability to create short term memories since the incident of the murder occurred and in showing us, the audience, Christopher Nolan (writer/director) twists the presentation of the film by reversing the scenes. In my opinion this is to create a connection between the main character and the viewer, as neither knows what to expect next.

Thriller is a term used for many films and is regarded as having a plot based around such things as a hero, justice or a race against time to prevent an event occurring. So it is quite vague as what the definition of a thriller is.

A Psychological Thriller is a term which best suits the nature of ‘Memento’. It scares the audience…not with blood and gore as some thrillers do, but

Repetition is the key, as demonstrated in ‘Donny Darko’ (written/directed by Richard Kelly). Here the ending of the film is the beginning when the aircraft falls out of the sky and lands on Donny Darko’s house. The repetition in ‘Memento’ is the fact that Leonard kills one man after another convinced that each was the murderer, but due to his amnesia each hunt is his first in search of the killer, so a similar technique is used.

So in conclusion there is no conclusion.

‘Vertigo’, directed by Alfred Hitchcock is a thriller which seems to have similar patterns emerging as ‘Memento’ does.

by scaring the viewer into thinking. The unpredictability of the film gives the sense of unease which in again sets us the viewers into Leonard’s position.

Both concentrate on one mans search for the answer, each causing complications along the way.

Some topics in this essay:
Detective John, Donny Darko’s, Christopher Nolan, Psychological Thriller, Alfred Hitchcock, Leonard Shelby, Richard Kelly, , search cure, thriller term,