Did Teddy tell the truth at the end of the movie?

The famous 2000 film that put Christopher Nolan on the map tells the story of a man on the hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife.
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If Teddy was telling the truth at the end of him and Leonard finding a bunch of John G's and killing them for over a year than how come Leonard had to take a picture of him in the movie?
Also why does Teddy first step back before Leonard takes the picture of him?
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Well he step backs because the hotel manger was the guy who got druggies to John Grants
Lenard had to take another picture because Teddy or Lenard destroyed the old picture. Teddy most likely so he could use Lenny again.

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Yeah I think he does as what he's saying makes a lot of sense with he rest of the events that happend earlier in the movie. The poice reports missing pages and his whole argument about Leonard was that he lies to himself and manipulates his own notes. He even does a terrible thing by writing down Teddy's car details to tattoo on himself. Which tells us that Leonard does lie to himself to make himself happy.
Also the picture of Leonard slightly damaged of him clearly celebrating killing his wife's killer. I think Teddy was a corrupt cop who used Teddy though to make a bit of money on the side, he's still a villan to me but didn't deserve to die.
Natalie was pure evil though in my view

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rbevanx wrote:Yeah I think he does as what he's saying makes a lot of sense with he rest of the events that happend earlier in the movie. The poice reports missing pages and his whole argument about Leonard was that he lies to himself and manipulates his own notes. He even does a terrible thing by writing down Teddy's car details to tattoo on himself. Which tells us that Leonard does lie to himself to make himself happy.
Also the picture of Leonard slightly damaged of him clearly celebrating killing his wife's killer. I think Teddy was a corrupt cop who used Teddy though to make a bit of money on the side, he's still a villan to me but didn't deserve to die.
Natalie was pure evil though in my view
I sometimes find her to be the most sympathetic character. Leonard kills her husband, shows up to her bar wearing her husband's suit, and you expect her to react how? Her manipulation of Leonardo to get rid of Dodd seems more justified in this respect. And I find her affection and empathy for Leonard after discovering his tattoos to be genuine. There is a sadness when she asks "Will you remember me?", Leonard shakes his head, she pulls him in close and kisses him, "I think you will."

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George wrote:
rbevanx wrote:Yeah I think he does as what he's saying makes a lot of sense with he rest of the events that happend earlier in the movie. The poice reports missing pages and his whole argument about Leonard was that he lies to himself and manipulates his own notes. He even does a terrible thing by writing down Teddy's car details to tattoo on himself. Which tells us that Leonard does lie to himself to make himself happy.
Also the picture of Leonard slightly damaged of him clearly celebrating killing his wife's killer. I think Teddy was a corrupt cop who used Teddy though to make a bit of money on the side, he's still a villan to me but didn't deserve to die.
Natalie was pure evil though in my view
I sometimes find her to be the most sympathetic character. Leonard kills her husband, shows up to her bar wearing her husband's suit, and you expect her to react how? Her manipulation of Leonardo to get rid of Dodd seems more justified in this respect. And I find her affection and empathy for Leonard after discovering his tattoos to be genuine. There is a sadness when she asks "Will you remember me?", Leonard shakes his head, she pulls him in close and kisses him, "I think you will."
Yeah you could say that but that scene when she's calling him a freak and her telling him "I'm gonna have fun using you" to me shows her true colors. It could all just be an act for him to make notes about her so she can use him more, maybe even kill people etc. But to me she's evil and a bit twisted and could argue she does gradully grows feeling for him which is more than valid but to me she's evil and is using him in more way than one :lol:

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I think he was, yes. He was using Leonard. But, you never know...

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rbevanx wrote:
George wrote:
I sometimes find her to be the most sympathetic character. Leonard kills her husband, shows up to her bar wearing her husband's suit, and you expect her to react how? Her manipulation of Leonardo to get rid of Dodd seems more justified in this respect. And I find her affection and empathy for Leonard after discovering his tattoos to be genuine. There is a sadness when she asks "Will you remember me?", Leonard shakes his head, she pulls him in close and kisses him, "I think you will."
Yeah you could say that but that scene when she's calling him a freak and her telling him "I'm gonna have fun using you" to me shows her true colors. It could all just be an act for him to make notes about her so she can use him more, maybe even kill people etc. But to me she's evil and a bit twisted and could argue she does gradully grows feeling for him which is more than valid but to me she's evil and is using him in more way than one :lol:
I'm never sure whether to take her yelling at Leonard to be genuine or not. To me it still seems like part of an act to make Leonard angry so he'll hit her. Particularly the way she overuses f*ck and presses on the wife insults.

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I prefer to think John Gammell was a total liar.
I think when people still call him 'Teddy', they fall victim into believing him.
I prefer to see this as irony, Leonard setting up the death of Teddy because of Jimmy and actually killing the John G.
To me the name John G is not coincidence.
I do not see John Gammell's actions as that of a real police officer (or why a San Francisco cop would be in LA)
I believe he is telling the truth when he says "I'm a snitch"
I don't think any cop would handle the Dodd situation that way.
Nor would they think of trophy hunting Jimmy's shoes, as John Gammell does.
I felt this way before reading Memento Mori, which I feel is most similar to the above interpretation.

This does not mean that Teddy raped and killed Leonard's wife.
The origin and accuracy of Leonard's tattoo is very suspect.
However, if there were drugs in the car, as in Leonard's story, then they probably stole them from Leonard's house.
Leonard seems well-versed in handling a gun during the flashback of the break-in.
Was John G responsible for sending in two guys to rob Leonard?
How can anyone trust that the first revenge killing by Leonard had anything to do with John G if John G set it up?

I know this view is not popular, and some will say it is not supported by the film.
However, it is very telling in the scene where Leonard says you can tell if someone is lying by observing them, not by what they say. And in the end, in the assessment of this film, that is all we really have.
(I do not include any auxiliary information outside of the film itself.)

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I love the fact that we see the two supporting characters Teddy and Natalie acting in complete opposite ways to him in different times. It makes you consider how much has happened between Lenny and those characters and whether Natalie will carry on using him/how long Teddy has used him for.

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George wrote:I'm never sure whether to take her yelling at Leonard to be genuine or not. To me it still seems like part of an act to make Leonard angry so he'll hit her. Particularly the way she overuses f*ck and presses on the wife insults.
Agree. Natalie seems to be very nice to Leonard at the start of the movie (or at the end of the story) and for me that is the 'true Natalie'.

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