Inception

Christopher Nolan's sci-fi thrill-ride offers in equal measure suspense, drama, mind-bending plot- and physical twists and a healthy dose of good cinematic fun. It cements his position as a potent blockbuster creator, and reminds viewers of his ability to tell a cracking, complex story.

The basic premise is far from complicated. In a world much like our own, people are able to share dreams together. First developed by the US military for training soldiers (In a dream, while one can feel pain, one normally cannot die: dying simply awakens the dreamer), the compact technology is now exploited for corporate espionage by thieves who kidnap or hijack people's dreams to extract information, trade secrets or gain blackmail leverage.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is one such thief, and an excellent one at that, despite his troubled past. But when Seito (Ken Watanabe), a previous target, approaches Cobb with the chance to get charges waiting for him in America dropped, Cobb is forced to embark on a job far more difficult than any before: inception, the planting of an idea inside a mind. Cobb's closest friends try to dissuade him; inception cannot be done.

So Mr Cobb assembles a team about him to undertake the mission. Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Ariadne (Ellen Page), Yusuf (Dileep Rao - pictured left) and Eames (Tom Hardy) all have very particular, very cool roles to play in the coming job. The first act is very much an explosive exposition of some of the film's key principles. But the second act, where Cobb plans and plots, is when Inception really starts to sparkle. The dialogue is crisp and to the point; the characters are witty and engaging. After any given scene with a character, particularly Arthur or Eames, I was left wanting more, gently in awe of highly competent performances.

A lot has already been written about some of the special effects in this film. But more than that, Hans Zimmer needs to be praised for the major role his score plays in establishing more than just pure effect but a fully formed mood, an all-encompassing ambience. This is what makes Inception stand out from other standard weak sci-fi fare. It is more than any one detail but the chilling mood of the entire piece that leaves one both thrilled and mentally wearied, in the best possible way.

Special note has to made once more of the performances. DiCaprio is on top form, even if this is not a far cry from his emotionally raw characterisation for Shutter Island. But Gordon-Levitt is super slick, while Cillian Murphy, playing Robert Fischer, is sensational. Murphy is no stranger to emotionally charged performances, but this one crackles. There appears to be so much bubbling beneath the surface in his portrayal that I'm tempted to suggest he's a show stealer here. Meanwhile, Cotillard and Watanabe have depth and detail to their performances that made them thoroughly enjoyable to watch.

Conspiracy theorists and pedants will love the many questions and holes this film throws up, but I believe that only adds to the film's validity as a great blockbuster. I don't know how watertight the concept really is, but I think there's an easy answer: it doesn't need to be. We're dealing with dreams. We're dealing with uncertainty and the kind of material, as Cobb himself notes, that only seems strange once it's ended. One's mind may ache by the final act, but that is surely better than mindless fun. Great re-watching potential, and a great step for Nolan.

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2010

Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Marion Cotillard, Cillian Murphy

Written and dir. Christopher Nolan