Movie info
| Languages: | English |
| Budget: | USD 5,000,000 |
| Gross: |
USA - 8,531,767 USD (6 May 2001) UK - 90,642 GBP (22 October 2000) Spain - 158,838,809 ESP (30 June 2001) |
| Plot: | Point blank in the head a man shoots another. In flashbacks, each one earlier in time than what we've just seen, the two men's pasts unfold. Leonard, as a result of a blow to the head during an assault on his wife, has no short-term memory. He's looking for his wife's killer, compensating for his disability by taking Polaroids, annotating them and tattooing important facts on his body. We meet the loquacious Teddy and the seductive Natalie (a barmaid who promises to help) and we glimpse Leonard's wife through memories from before the assault. Leonard also talks about Sammy Jankis, a man he knew with a similar condition. Has Leonard found the killer? Who's manipulating whom? |
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Original Soundtracks
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"Something in the Air" (1999) Music by David Bowie and Reeves Gabrels Lyrics by David Bowie Performed by David Bowie Courtesy of RZO Music, Inc./Virgin Records America, Inc. "Stone" (2000) Written and Performed by Monc Courtesy of Conglomerated Industries "Generation Z" (2000) Written and Performed by Monc Courtesy of Conglomerated Industries "Motherlode" Written by Chuck Hamshaw & Mark Schmidt Published by JRM Music (ASCAP) Courtesy of Megatrax Production Music, Inc. (1994) "Ipanema Dreaming" Written by Daniel May Performed by Daniel May Published by Revision West (BMI) Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/MasterSource "Do the Boogaloo" Written by Sammy Burdson and Jean-Claude Madonne Sonoton Music Library Courtesy of Associated Production Music |
Goofs
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FAIR: Leonard is able to remember that he has a problem with his memory because he has conditioned himself to look at his "Remember Sammy Jankis" tattoo. Similarly he has conditioned himself to check his pockets for Polaroids to remind himself of other essential day-to-day facts. Alternatively, it could be because Leonard has Korsakov's syndrome, sometimes caused by acute trauma. In some cases the patient knows that they have the disorder. Arguments have been presented both for and against this but, in the end, it's the reality that the movie presents us with and so, for 113 minutes at least, it's true. FAIR: ...or not - your call. Since the movie is about memory and its fragility/unreliability, it is eminently possible that all supposed continuity errors are deliberate. However, given the structural complexity of this movie, and bearing in mind the number of errors which manage to find their way into even the simplest linear narrative, it is equally possible that they are genuine errors and so they are reported here for your consideration. Continuity: Natalie's hair in the restaurant scene. Miscellaneous: When Natalie shows Leonard the picture of herself with Jimmy, she is smiling (in addition to Jimmy having a mustache). Later, when he gets out of bed and views it again, she is no longer smiling, and Jimmy's mustache is gone. Finally, in the close-up of Leonard writing the note on the back of the Polaroid he took of her, the picture has reverted to its original state. Continuity: In the opening scene, Teddy's glasses flip over between shots. Continuity: The size of the tape pulled off the roll and applied to Dodd's face. Continuity: As Leonard stands at Dodd's door preparing to enter, there isn't a window on his left side. Once Leonard breaks into Dodd's room, a window appears to his left. Revealing mistakes: The Jaguar XK8 has antilock brakes and would not have managed the entertainingly screeching skid as it stopped outside the tattoo parlor. Only the rear wheels are locked and clearly the handbrake was used to make an amusing noise. No matter how it was achieved, it was not a natural stop and there is no evidence to suggest that Leonard is a stunt driver who might habitually stop like that. Revealing mistakes: When Leonard discovers the bullets in the pickup, the primers are obviously used and would not fire. Continuity: When Natalie kisses Leonard goodbye, her lips are not cut, though they are before and after. SYNC: In a couple places, such as after Jimmy is killed, the Polaroid camera does not make the correct motor noise. Continuity: When Leonard burns Catherine's hairbrush in the fire. you can see that Catherine's book is also burning next to it before Leonard has put it into the fire. Continuity: At the beginning, when Leonard and Teddy arrive at the abandoned building the weather is cloudy, but when they get out of the Jaguar it becomes sunny all of a sudden. Continuity: When Leonard is writing on the back of Teddy's Polaroid, he sets the picture down on his jacket; however, in the close-ups of Leonard writing, he appears to have the picture directly on the bed. Continuity: When Leonard is being chased by Dodd, Leonard's window is intact, broken, and intact in successive scenes (before it is shot out by Dodd shortly thereafter). Crew: When Dodd pulls his red vehicle into view after Leonard turns off the road to see what he was harassing him about, the camera crew is reflected on the side as the truck moves from the right side of the frame to the left. Miscellaneous: When Leonard is sitting in his pick-up writing down Teddy's license number, he writes "FACT 6" without checking how many other facts there are first. Continuity: Teddy's car's license plate changes throughout the movie. The first time we're able to see it (after Leonard and he leave Dodd's apartment), it reads SG13 71U. Towards the end, after Leonard kills Jimmy, it reads SG13 7IU, which is what Leonard reads it as every time he mentions it. Tattooed on his thigh, it reads SG13 71U, and on the vehicle title Natalie provides for him, it reads SG13 7IU. This, of course, is likely an intentional mistake to reflect Leonard's unstable state of mind. PLOT: Natalie apparently rides home from the bar with Leonard, yet her car is already home. CHAR: After fleeing Dodd, while driving to the hotel, Leonard is reading the description that Natalie wrote down for him. You hear him 'thinking' what she's written down. He 'says' that Dodd is staying at the Mountcrest Inn, yet it is written as the Monterest Inn. Continuity: Natalie's handwriting is different in each of its appearances. The writing on the Ferdy's Bar coaster switches between print and cursive, and the invitation to the City Grill is in another kind of print. However, this could be another demonstration of the instability of Leonard's memory. Continuity: In a flashback we see Leonard getting up from bed because he hears sounds from the bathroom. Before he goes into the closet to get the gun he looks out of the room and we get a look at a rather well lit hallway. After he comes out of the closet the hallway has changed drastically. The handrail/banister is totally different, the lighting in the hallway and opposing room is different, the distance between the two opposing doors is different, the painting between the doors is different and the light switch between the doors is gone. Also the mirror on the wall next to the closet has changed from square with a rounded top to octagonal. It's obviously two different rooms. Continuity: At the end of the flashback where he sustains the injury Leonard seems to fall directly down to the floor after being attacked. His body should then be lying the same way as his wife's. However he lands on the floor with his body facing the opposite way. Continuity: In the black/white parts Leonard is staying in room 21 (as seen on the key). In one of the shots he looks out the window and we see the door to room 304. In the clip it is at the same height as the room Leonard is looking out of, but when he moves into that room he has to go down the stairs to get to the reception and in doing so passes room 21. Continuity: In the Jaguar Teddy gives Leonard the address of the Discount Inn. Teddy met Leonard at this motel earlier and therefore knows that he is already staying there. Leonard did not check out when they left and should therefore have both a picture and the key to room 21 in his possession. Continuity: In the scene where Dodd first comes after Leonard and chases him, his red SUV blocks in Leonard's Jaguar from behind. However, in the next chronological scene (when Leonard gets back to his car and drives away), Dodd's SUV is no longer blocking him in. Revealing mistakes: Possibly deliberate: A shot shows Teddy's Driver License with its expiry date clearly visible: 02/29/01. But the year 2001 is no leap year, thus there is no 29th day in February. Continuity: The sky on the photograph Leonard takes of the hotel sign does not equal the sky at the moment he taking the picture. Continuity: The photograph that Natalie has in her apartment shows Larry once with, and the next time without, his mustache. Revealing mistakes: Natalie's handwriting on the coaster Lenny finds in his pocket changes. PLOT: Leonard goes to the Discount Inn, and the manager takes him to room 303; when Leonard realizes that it is not his room and the manager admits to also renting him room 304 because business was slow, Leonard calls the manager Burt. In that particular entire sequence, Burt has on no name tag, nor does he mention his name to Leonard. CHAR: In the black & white scene towards the end when he calls the hotel manager Burt on the phone from his room, he tells Burt that he is calling from room 21. Nowhere inside the room (including on the phone itself) does it mention the room number. How would he know what room number he was in? SYNC: When Leonard and Teddy are in the diner, Teddy says "What about John G.? You think he's still here?" When the scene cuts back to Leonard, the line "You think he's still here?" is heard, but Teddy's mouth isn't moving. Revealing mistakes: Natalie says, "Lenny, before you go, can I have my shirt back please?" whereupon Leonard smiles and removes the white shirt he has just put on. But the shirt is a man's shirt, as revealed by its buttons. CHAR: While noting down Teddy's license plate number SG13 7IU, Leonard writes it as SG13 71U, which is how it gets tattooed on his leg at Emma's. However, at the beginning of the movie, when Natalie sends Leonard a package containing details about Teddy, the License number mentioned is SG13 7IU. Leonard checks this with the License number tattooed on his leg and does not realize the difference. CHAR: In the two scenes where Sammy is administering insulin to his wife, he is placing the needle in the crook of her arm, as if mainlining it. Insulin is never injected at this site, but rather at the back of the bicep. The other shots, in the stomach and the thigh, are correct. |
Quotes
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Leonard Shelby: You know, I can remember so much. The feel of the world... her. [sighs] She's gone. And the present is trivia, which I scribble down as fucking notes. Natalie: What's the last thing that you do remember? Leonard Shelby: My wife... Natalie: That's sweet. Leonard Shelby: ...dying. [last lines] Leonard Shelby: Now... where was I? Leonard Shelby: I found you, you fuck. Leonard Shelby: I meet Sammy through work. Insurance. I was an investigator. I'd investigate the claims to see which ones were phony. I had to see through people's bullshit. It was useful experience, 'cause now it's my life. Burt Hadley: Oh shit. This is the wrong room. You're in 304 now. I'm sorry. I fucked up. Leonard Shelby: This is not my room? Burt Hadley: No, come on, let's go. Leonard Shelby: Why is this my handwriting? Burt Hadley: ...This was your room, but now you're in 304. Leonard Shelby: When was I in here? Burt Hadley: Last week. But then I rented you another room on top of it. Leonard Shelby: Why? Burt Hadley: Business is slow. I mean, I told my boss about the - your condition and stuff, and he said try and rent him another room. Leonard Shelby: So how many rooms am I checked into in this shit-hole? Burt Hadley: Just two, so far. Leonard Shelby: Well, at least you're being honest about ripping me off. Burt Hadley: Well, you're not gonna remember anyway. Leonard Shelby: You don't have to be *that* honest, Burt. Burt Hadley: Leonard, always get a receipt. Leonard Shelby: That's good advice. I'll have to write that down. Teddy: You're not a killer. [pinches Leonard's cheeks] That's why you're so good at it. [repeated line] Leonard Shelby: I have this condition. Leonard Shelby: I always thought the joy of reading a book is not knowing what happens next. Leonard Shelby: Memory can change the shape of a room; it can change the color of a car. And memories can be distorted. They're just an interpretation, they're not a record, and they're irrelevant if you have the facts. Leonard Shelby: I have to believe in a world outside my own mind. I have to believe that my actions still have meaning, even if I can't remember them. I have to believe that when my eyes are closed, the world's still there. Do I believe the world's still there? Is it still out there?... Yeah. We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different. Leonard Shelby: I was the only guy who disagreed with the cops - and I had brain damage. Leonard Shelby: We all need mirrors to remind ourselves who we are. I'm no different. Leonard Shelby: Facts, not memories. That's how you investigate. I know, it's what I used to do. Leonard Shelby: I don't even know how long she's been gone. It's like I've woken up in bed and she's not here... because she's gone to the bathroom or something. But somehow, I know she's never gonna come back to bed. If I could just... reach over and touch... her side of the bed, I would know that it was cold, but I can't. I know I can't have her back... but I don't want to wake up in the morning, thinking she's still here. I lie here not knowing... how long I've been alone. So how... how can I heal? How am I supposed to heal if I can't... feel time? Leonard Shelby: [looking at a near-empty bottle of alcohol in his hand] Hmmm. I don't feel drunk. Teddy: You don't know who you are anymore. Leonard Shelby: Of course I do. I'm Leonard Shelby. I'm from San Francisco. Teddy: No, that's who you were. Maybe it's time you started investigating yourself. [finding a beaten man in his closet] Leonard Shelby: ...who did this to you? Dodd: What? Leonard Shelby: Who did this to you? Dodd: You did. Natalie: But even if you get revenge you're not gonna remember it. You're not even going to know that it happened. Leonard Shelby: My wife deserves vengance. Doesn't make a difference whether I know about it. Just becuase there are things I don't remember doesn't make my actions meaningless. The world doesn't just disappear when you close your eyes, does it? Anyway, maybe I'll take a photograph to remind myself, get another freaky tattoo. Teddy: It's beer o'clock, and I'm buying. Teddy: You know, I've had more rewarding friendships than this one. Although I do get to keep telling the same jokes. Leonard Shelby: These tracks are just a few days old. Teddy: What are you, Pocahontas? Leonard Shelby: I don't think they'd let someone like me carry a gun. Teddy: I fucking hope not. Leonard Shelby: Sammy Jankis wrote himself endless notes. But he'd get mixed up. I've got a more graceful solution to the memory problem. I'm disciplined and organized. I use habit and routine to make my life possible. Sammy had no drive. No reason to make it work. [talking on the phone about Sammy Jankis' attempts to learn through repitition] Leonard Shelby: Sammy had no drive, no reason to make it work. [listens and looks at his tattoo reading "John G. raped and murdered my wife"] Leonard Shelby: Me? Yeah, I got a reason. Natalie: You know what? I think I'm gonna use you. I'm telling you now because I'll enjoy it so much more if I know that you could stop me if you weren't such a fucking freak! Natalie: You sad, sad freak. I can say whatever the fuck I want, and you won't remember. We'll still be best friends. Or maybe even lovers. [about Leonard's condition] Burt Hadley: What's it like? Leonard Shelby: It's like waking. Like you just woke up. Burt Hadley: That must suck. Natalie: Is that what your little note says? It must be hard living your life off a couple of scraps of paper. You mix your laundry list with your grocery list you'll end up eating your underwear for breakfast. Teddy: Was he scared? Leonard Shelby: Yeah, I think it was your sinister moustache. Teddy: Fuck you. Leonard Shelby: I take it I've told you about my condition. Teddy: Only every time I see ya. Teddy: Someone has to pay, Lenny. Somebody always pays. Teddy: [checking Leonard's pulse]You're living. Leonard Shelby: Only for revenge. Leonard Shelby: There are things you know for sure. Natalie: Such as? Leonard Shelby: I know what that's going to sound like when I knock on it. I know that's what going to feel like when I pick it up. See? Certainties. It's the kind of memory that you take for granted. Leonard Shelby: My wife deserves revenge, whether I know about it or not. Leonard Shelby: Remember Sammy Jankis. Leonard Shelby: Beg my wife's forgiveness, before I blow [pause] your brains out. Leonard Shelby: Probably burned truck loads of your stuff before. Can't remember to forget you. Leonard Shelby: I can't remember to forget you. Teddy: You don't want the truth. You make up your own truth. Sammy Jankis: That's a test? Where were you guys when I did my CPA? [Leonard hits Teddy in the back of his head with his camera] Teddy: Lenny! That shit kills! Leonard Shelby: I'm not a killer. I'm just someone who wanted to make things right. Can't I just let myself forget what you've told me? Can't I just let myself forget what you've made me do. You think I just want another puzzle to solve? Another John G. to look for? You're John G. So you can be my John G... Will I lie to myself to be happy? In your case Teddy... yes I will. Natalie: You know what one of the reasons for short term memory loss is? Venereal disease. Maybe your cunt of fucking a wife sucked one too many diseased cocks and turned you into a fucking retard. Leonard Shelby: If we talk for too long, I'll forget how we started. Next time I see you, I'm not gonna remember this conversation. I don't even know if I've met you before. [pause] I've told you this before, haven't I? Natalie: Get rid of Dodd for me. Kill him. I'll pay you. Leonard Shelby: Are you crazy? I'm not gonna kill someone for money. Natalie: What then? Love? What would you kill for? You'd kill for your wife, wouldn't you? Leonard Shelby: That's different! Natalie: Not to me, I wasn't fucking married to her! Leonard Shelby: Hi. Uh, Lincoln Street? Waiter: Oh, you just take the main road... Leonard Shelby: Hang on, let me write this down. Waiter: Oh, it's easy. You just... Leonard Shelby: Trust me, I need to write this down. Sammy Jankis: [after being shocked] What the fuck? Doctor: It's a test, Sammy. Sammy Jankis: [flipping him the bird] Test this, you fucking quack! Leonard Shelby: It's just an anonymous room. There's nothing in the drawers. But you look anyway. Nothing except the Gideon bible, which I, of course, read religiously. Natalie: Tell me about her again. Leonard Shelby: Why? Natalie: Because you like to remember her. Leonard Shelby: She was beautiful. To me, she was perfect. Natalie: No, don't just recite the words. Close your eyes... and remember her. Leonard Shelby: You can just feel the details. The bits and pieces you never bothered to put into words. And you can feel these extreme moments... even if you don't want to. You put these together, and you get the feel of a person. Enough to know how much you miss them... and how much you hate the person who took them away. Leonard Shelby: When I looked into his eyes I thought I saw recognition. Now I know. You fake it. If you think you're supposed to recognize somebody you, you just pretend. You bluff it to get a pat on the head from the doctors. You bluff it to seem less like a freak. Teddy: So you lie to yourself to be happy. There's nothing wrong with that. We all do it. Leonard Shelby: We all lie to ourselves to be happy. Teddy: You know how many towns, how many guys called James G? Or John G? Shit, Leonard, I'm a fuckin' John G. Leonard Shelby: Your name's Teddy. Teddy: My *mother* calls me Teddy. Leonard Shelby: If we can't make memories, we can't heal. [first lines] Leonard Shelby: [voiceover] So where are you? You're in some motel room. You just - you just wake up and you're in - in a motel room. There's the key. It feels like maybe it's just the first time you've been there, but perhaps you've been there for a week, three months. It's - it's kind of hard to say. I don't - I don't know. It's just an anonymous room. Teddy: Hey! Hey, that's not your car! Leonard Shelby: [takes a picture of the Jaguar] It is now. Teddy: Jesus Chri- you can't take it! Leonard Shelby: Why not? Teddy: Because the guy you killed owns it; somebody will recognize it! Leonard Shelby: Well, I rather be mistaken for a dead guy than a killer. [wields a crowbar in his hand] Leonard Shelby: Strip! [Jimmy takes off his shirt] Leonard Shelby: Take off your pants too. Jimmy Grantz: Why? Leonard Shelby: I don't want to get blood on them. Teddy: Finished playing with yourself there, Lenny? [flashback] Leonard Shelby: How can you read that again? Leonard's Wife: It's good. Leonard Shelby: Yeah, but you read it like a thousand times. Leonard's Wife: I enjoy it. Leonard Shelby: I always thought the pleasure of a book was wanting to know what comes next. Leonard's Wife: Hey, don't be a prick. I'm not reading it to annoy you, I enjoy it. Just let me read... please. [smiles at him] [repeated line] Leonard Shelby: Awake. Where am I? Teddy: Nice shot, Liebowitz. Teddy: When she offers to help, it'll be for her own reasons. I'm not lying. Take my pen, write this down. Do not trust her. Leonard Shelby: I don't want your fucking money. Jimmy Grantz: Then what? What do you want? Leonard Shelby: I want my fucking life back! Teddy: But when you killed him I, I was so convinced that you'd remember. But it didn't stick... like nothin' ever sticks, like this won't stick. Teddy: We found him, you killed him!... But you didn't remember. Leonard Shelby: [while walking through a parking lot, Teddy stops at his dilapidated Chevrolet] My car. Teddy: [laughs] This is your car. Leonard Shelby: [holds up a picture of the Jaguar with the caption My Car] Oh, you're in a playful mood. It's not good for you to make fun of somebody's handicap. Teddy: Just trying to have a little fun. Leonard Shelby: [running] OK, so what am I doing? [sees Dodd also running] Leonard Shelby: Oh, I'm chasing this guy. [Dodd shoots at Leonard] Leonard Shelby: No... he's chasing me. Leonard Shelby: Natalie, right? [Holds up photo of a bloody face, labeled "Dodd"] Leonard Shelby: Who the fuck is Dodd? Natalie: [Looks at photo] Guess I don't have to worry about him anymore. |
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