Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) latest film Inception is a crime caper, sci-fi, arthouse, action film, which defies both categorisation and at times logic. This big budget production (reported to be between $USD 160-200 million) with a fantastic ensemble cast comes from the Memento mould of Nolan’s filmmaking, playing with story structure, time frames and realities. Inception is definitely one of those films where it is best to go into the cinema knowing as little as possible about what you are about to see (thankfully the advertising campaign for this film has been mercifully restrained).
Inception (without going into too much detail, I promise) utilises dreams as a terrain for action, with a story that simply put follows a reasonably traditional heist scenario. But really there is nothing simple about this film’s plot- the tangled and overlaying story-points are immensely convoluted, to the point that it is hard to decipher what exactly is going on, who it is happening to and why. Exposition in films is generally looked down on as laziness, but as both writer and director, Nolan can definitely not be accused of this. He has painstakingly not downplayed to his audience, expecting them to keep up with (or at least try to) the spiralling story.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays the troubled Cobb, a man who goes on assignments to extract information from important people. His partner in crime is the level-headed Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 500 Days of Summer). When a special case with huge rewards is presented to the pair by the powerful Saito (Ken Watanabe, Letters from Iwo Jima), they then join up with promising, young architect Ariadne (Ellen Page, Juno), talented liar Eames (Tom Hardy, Bronson) and chemist Yusef (Dileep Rao, Avatar) to plan and execute their perilous task. Added to this very strong central cast are seasoned performers Tom Berenger (Platoon), Pete Postlethwaite (The Usual Suspects) and Michael Caine (Harry Brown). Academy award-winning French actress, Marion Cotillard (Le Vie en Rose) and Irish actor, Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins) take on almost traditional roles within in the crime caper scenario, of femme fatale and the mark (victim.
Refusing to turn to CGI for all his visual wonder, Nolan has used mechanical effects for large sequences, with some amazing results. One particular scene revolving around Gordon-Levitt’s character is truly incredible to watch on the big screen. Special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, who worked with Nolan on the Batman films, and his stunt team have done an impressive and at times jaw-dropping job with the action in this film and deserve special mention.
With its visually spectacle (humongous and eye-straining if you watch this film at the IMAX) and its enticing storyline full of complexity, Inception also comes with a little bit of smugness, the film reveling in its measured insanity at time. But this is a small criticism in what is a massively successful film. Nolan’s triumph isn’t so much his tricky plotlines, but that he has carefully constructed the perfect film-going experience for audiences. Inception is amazing to look at, the cast includes actors/actresses that are not only popular but also critically acclaimed, and the film has an original script that forces audiences to pay constant attention (expect no toilet breaks) and leaves them pondering long after leaving the cinema. This is finally a big-budget film where the money feels well spent.
First published on Trespass
