Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010): USA

Reviewed by Kathleen Amboy.  Viewed at Camino Real Cinema, Goleta, CA.

  Washing ashore on a foreign land, Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is pulled from the water and brought before an elderly Japanese man whom he has been searching for.  Though his memory is a bit cloudy, in a matter of seconds the scene shifts to Cobb working as a safe cracker stealing important documents, and then plunging into a tub of water as everything comes crashing down.

Cobb works as a corporate spy, or pirate if you will, stealing valuable info by extracting it from the minds of competitors through their dreams and delivering it to the client.  He is highly skilled and the best at what he does, until Saito (Ken Watanabe), a client, hires him with a special request, not to extract but to implant an idea instead, known as an Inception.

The challenge is accepted only with a guarantee that he will be reunited with his family back in the States once the task is complete.  Cobb then recruits a skilled team to assist him in the dream process, but as they set about on their mission he is repeatedly hindered by the dogged behavior of his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard).

Moving at a fast pace from beginning to end, racked with thrills, twists and turns, the film has wonderfully appropriate CGI and terrific special effects – particularly the hallway scene.  As the film comes to a close, Nolan manages to implant ideas into the minds of his audience, or at least it seems so – it’s easy to lose track of the characters.

Marion Cotillard gives a chilling standout performance, and Cillian Murphy, as the target, is equally entrancing.  Inception is also a study in screenwriting, as Christopher Nolan has outdone himself and surely deserves an Oscar nod for his efforts.  It is difficult to find a flaw, and believe me, seeing it twice – I’ve tried.

Unlike the horribly depressing  Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, with its splashy over the top pyrotech special effects and nightmarish Joker domination, Inception is a decisive (9 years in the planning stage) masterpiece of writing and directing. 

Lastly, it would be remiss not to mention the brilliant and haunting score by Hans Zimmer, Composer for Gladiator, Green Card, and many many more, where the film and music work congruently.

 

 

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Published:
08.15.10 / 7pm
Category:
Films