REVIEW: Inception (2010) FIVE STARS
Inception
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 148 minutes
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio
My Rating: 5 stars
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It allegedly took Christopher Nolan a decade to finish writing Inception, this year’s psychological thrill ride.
A side project, Inception was in his head as he pumped out Memento (5 stars), Batman Begins (5 stars), The Prestige (5 stars) and The Dark Knight (5 stars). When he finally finished writing Inception, his directing career was approaching legendary status. Nolan couldn’t afford a flop now.
And he didn’t, taking us deep into the recesses of the mind with a plot diving into dreams within dreams within dreams. You know that feeling you get when you first wake up from a dream, how the content of it is right there, but you can’t quite comprehend it all? That’s about the feeling during Inception. It’s not a bad thing.
Nolan’s latest work — his first non-linear (well, maybe it is linear, but I don’t know) film since Memento — is both intelligent and entertaining. Those there for the action and thrill will be pleased. Those watching to figure out the plot will have just as much to enjoy. Inception is a non-stop mind-bender that requires a second viewing to really take it all in.
Leonardo DiCaprio plays “Cobb,” a man with a sordid past that may or may not include murdering his wife. Cobb is an extractor — a trained investigator of sorts whose job includes infiltrating dreams and extracting sensitive information. People fill their dream worlds with subconscious information they would never reveal publicly. Cobb finds it and delivers it to whomever hires him.
In Inception, he’s hired by Saito (Ken Watanabe), a businessman who wants to take down his main competitor by corrupting the son, Robert Fischer, Jr. (Cillian Murphy), set to inherit the business. That’s not as easy as what Cobb is usually hired to do. You see, Cobb not only has to get sensitive information out of Fischer, but also plant the idea in Fischer’s head that taking down the company is the best thing to do.
That’s at least what I think is supposed to happen. I do know it involves devising an elaborate plan to go deep into Fisher’s subconscious through dream layers. Cobb’s entourage, which includes an explosives guy, a tough guy and a chemist, needs an architect to design a maze for Fischer’s dream. He hires Ariadne (Ellen Page), whom he also needs to help keep his dead wife from ruining the plan.
If you’re confused, don’t worry. It’s why it took Nolan 10 years to write and why this may be his best effort yet.
Memento is almost too noir and not enough entertainment to appeal to the masses, although a masterpiece of its own genre. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight are great, entertaining films with depth, but not a whole lot to boggle your minds. The Prestige doesn’t offer a clear answer to the film’s final reveal. Even after viewing it upwards of 20 times, I can’t provide a solid answer.
But here’s Inception with it’s perfect blend of psychological trickery and sensational, thrilling entertainment. If you go in and have no idea what’s going on, which many will, you’re still captivated. If you love films that make you want to diagram its plot points to figure it all out, you’ll run out of ink with this one. If you want romance, there’s even some of that here.
Inception is the best film of the year so far and Nolan’s legend continues to grow. He’s a mastermind, a genius and continues to take psychological dramas to another level. He creates a new canvas with Inception, and, if any of us remember our foggy dreams, we know the possibilities are limitless. Five stars
