[pullquote cite=”” type=”left, right”][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=That Film Guy&asin=B005EYSVJE][/pullquote] Christopher Nolan made his name with cerebral and moody thrillers like Memento and Insomnia as well as blockbuster graphic novel adaptations like Batman Begins and it’s monster sequel The Dark Knight. With the success of the latter, he was given a free ticket by studio bosses to produce, write and direct any film he wanted. He chose to make a film based around an idea he had been working on for over a decade. It was a gritty heist movie set in the mind of one of the characters. It was ground-breaking and incredible. It was, Inception.
For months leading up to the release of Inception on 8th July 2010, we were treated to cryptic trailers and posters that gave none of the plot away, but whet our appetites with the promise of something unique and intelligent. There were snippets of a busy city street rolling up over itself and of two men fighting in mid-air in a hotel corridor. Everything about the trailer lead the viewer to a level of confusion and intrigue that by the time the film was released there was a great buzz circulating as everyone was desperate to know the story.
Inception revolves around lead character Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), whose job it is to extract information from people’s minds by creating a ˜dream state’ that he can walk into and find what he’s looking for. He is then offered the chance to return home to the US with all mysterious charges against him dropped. The job itself is unusual within his line of business as he has to implant an idea in a businessman’s head rather than steal memories out. So he assembles his team and begins working on this most tricky of tasks.
Inception’s plot is complex, compelling and full of rich, unique ideas that are beautifully played out, and to detail anymore would do a disservice to the twists and turns that are constantly thrown at you. DiCaprio is wonderfully cast as the life-weary Cobb and this has to rank as his most mature performance to date. The supporting cast are pitch-perfect, with standout performances from Eames (Tom Hardy), Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe). The score, composed by Hans Zimmer is a honking and intrusive master-piece that underpins all of the action, with constant references to Edith Piaf’s ˜Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.‘
Everything about Inception just drips of sophistication, intelligence and style. There is not one dull moment as your brain is constantly working over-time to keep up with all the information being presented to you. It treats the audience with the smarts to keep up and doesn’t once drop pace from the thrilling opening ˜dream within a dream’ to the mouth-watering final scenes that seem filled with hope and confusion.
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