OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS: Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the best in the dangerous art of extraction: stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible--inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse; their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.
DIRECTED BY: Christopher Nolan
WRITTEN BY: Christopher Nolan
CAST: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine
STUDIO: Warner Bros.
OFFICIAL SITE:INCEPTIONMOVIE.COM
I’m a huge Chris Nolan fan.
I’ll admit that BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT have a lot to do with it, but I truly dig the man’s work.
The director first caught my attention back in 2002 or so when MEMENTO was getting a lot of run. I went out and bought it on DVD and thought it was not only excellent, but quite unique as well. Not long after, I actually went to see INSOMNIA at the theater mainly because it was directed by “The guy who made that backwards movie.”
So when I learned that Mr. Nolan had been tapped to reboot the BATMAN film series for Warner Bros., I thought it was a good -- albeit a risky -- choice.
Think about it. Warner Bros. put a young director -- who didn’t have a very long résumé quite frankly -- in charge of arguably the studio’s #1 asset.
A gamble? Yes. But one that ultimately paid off, right? Nolan’s BATMAN BEGINS saved a franchise that was just about as dead as one can be.
Three years later (following THE PRESTIGE in 2006), Nolan returned to Gotham City with THE DARK KNIGHT. Not only is TDK the #1 comic book movie in terms of the box office (over $1 billion worldwide), it just might be the greatest superhero flick to date. It is my favorite movie off all-time.
Go figure.
The review continues after the jump!
Now we have Mr. Nolan’s latest cinematic endeavor…INCEPTION.
Honestly, it just may be Chris’ best film yet.
I’ve been looking forward to this movie for quite a while now. I thought the premise was fascinating -- being able to go into people’s minds via dreams. Of course, very few details of the film have been made public or leaked online -- just the way Chris wanted. For me, this made INCEPTION that much more intriguing and intensified my desire to see it exponentially.
A couple of months ago, I was invited to head out to Los Angeles in late June and be one of the very first to actually see INCEPTION at an early press screening. I knew I’d get a look at it early, but I was thinking a few days before its release, not nearly a whole month! Now seeing it when I did was very cool and all, but there was one caveat -- I couldn’t talk about it! Thankfully, the moratorium has finally come to and end and now I can talk about it ‘til I’m blue in the face.
Without further delay, here’s what I thought of INCEPTION…
I’ll start this review with the following warning: Do not go see this film if you believe that folks need to check their brains in at the door for Summer movie blockbusters.
If that’s the way you like ’em, that’s fine...I guess. However INCEPTION is not for you, unfortunately.
This is a deep, multi-layered, smart, and complex film that makes you have to think.
I’ve been racking my brain over how I can describe this movie to you readers. I guess I could say it’s a pinch of Bond, a dash of THE MATRIX, mixed together with a heap of heist film. But that’s not really a fair depiction because it is positively its own thing. It’s original, fresh, and unlike anything we’ve seen in quite sometime.
I suppose the best way for me to describe it is to say that INCEPTION is a “Chris Nolan Movie” about dreams.
I know that's rather vague, but that’s really what it is.
(L-R) DILEEP RAO as Yusuf, TOM HARDY as Eames, JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT as Arthur, LEONARDO DiCAPRIO as Cobb, ELLEN PAGE as Ariadne, and KEN WATANABE as Saito in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ sci-fi action film INCEPTION a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Photo by Stephen Vaughan)
The premise of INCEPTION is that people can share dreams. However, only a select few have the ability to enter dreams, control what happens, and then steal valuable information from some unsuspecting target. These dream thieves, if you will, are known as “extractors.” And one Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the best extractor of them all.
While Cobb is the #1 guy in his profession, he’s also on the lam. He can’t return to his home in the United States because he is wanted for a crime that he did not commit. However, his unfortunate circumstance could change when he’s offered one last job by a Japanese businessman (Ken Watanabe) who promises to pull a few strings and make all of Cobb’s “legal problems” go away. The catch? He isn’t needed to steal information this time, he’s got to plant a suggestion.
This is what is known as “Inception.”
The kicker is whether or not inception can actually be done. Cobb insists it can and he’s the one that can do it. Why is he so confident? Well, that’s one of the many mysteries that’s explored in this film.
OK, this is all I want to reveal about INCEPTION’s plot because I do want you all to experience it knowing as little as possible. I went into the screening pretty darn clueless and I’m glad that I did. There are a lot of twists and turns in this flick and it’s definitely best to experience it not knowing what’s around the corner. Trust me, there are A LOT of corners in this film -- you know what I mean?
Heads up: The first half hour or so is one big "WTF?!" moment. Stick with it, because it all leads to many great epiphanies as the movie progresses. There is a method to the madness.
Mr. Nolan, yet again, has put together a nice cast. All do an excellent job in their respective roles and mesh well together as an ensemble. Two of the supporting cast members particularly shined -- Joseph Gordon Levitt as “Arthur” and Tom Hardy as “Earns.” I won’t go as far as to say that the pair steal the movie, but…well…they did sort of stand out to say the least.
Marion Cotillard? Fantastic. If it’s possible to hate/like/feel sorry for someone all at once, she makes it happen. (Selina Kyle, anyone?)
As far as the top-billed Leonardo DiCaprio, if you‘ve seen any of his other films (perhaps WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE excluded), that’s what you’re getting here. I certainly wouldn’t say I dislike DiCaprio , but I‘m no big-time fan of his either. I simply don’t find him “chameleon-enough” for my liking. Regardless, he does nothing here that will change the opinion of Leo haters or fans. A petty nitpick that ultimately doesn’t affect my overall opinion of this film. But hey, the dude’s getting big-time top billing here, so I figured I should call it like I see it with him.
As far as behind the camera, I’ve got to send props out to the following folks and their respective crews: cinematographer Wally Pfister, special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, and composer Hans Zimmer.
The “look” of the film is tremendous thanks to Pfister. This guy’s one of the best in the business and his work on INCEPTION proves it. When it comes to “Team Corbould,” I’m sure that Chris asked for the impossible yet again, and as always, they deliver. And Zimmer’s score is pretty much a character in the film itself.
(L-R) ELLEN PAGE, MICHAEL CAINE, LEONARDO DiCAPRIO, director of photography WALLY PFISTER, and director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN on the set of INCEPTION. (Photo by Stephen Vaughan)
The bottom line here is that I loved this film. I know this review will get labeled by some as me simply kissing Nolan’s butt. Whatever…I couldn’t care less. It’s a great film and the fact it’s an original creation from Chris makes it even that much more impressive. Really, the guy made all of this crazy dream stuff up in his head, put it down on paper, and turned it into one hell of a film.
INCEPTION is a film that Nolan has been thinking about and developing for ten years. I’m sure greenlighting a filmmaker’s personal pet project and giving it a prime Summer release date would be considered a huge gamble for any studio. Did THE DARK KNIGHT’s success and having Nolan ultimately helm a third BATMAN play a role in such a decision? Perhaps, but it really doesn’t matter because this is one damn good movie.
The "I check my brain in at the door for Summer movie blockbusters" ain't going to matter with this one, and Warner Bros.’ leap of faith and belief in Chris Nolan is going to get rewarded yet again.
GRADE: A
INCEPTION opens in theaters everywhere on July 16, 2010.
A life-long Batman fan, "Jett" is the founder of BATMAN-ON-FILm.COM and resides in the great state of Texas.
