Nguyễn Minh Tuấn – IELSIU20080

A REVIEW OF “INCEPTION” – Christopher Nolan's all-time masterpiece

Inception, Christopher Nolan's first film since the critically praised box office smash The Dark
Knight, investigates the realm of dreams. The premise of Nolan's sci-fi thriller sounds simple
enough, but his execution is anything but. Inception, ostensibly an international heist thriller,
follows Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), an "extractor" whose type of corporate espionage is to
penetrate the dreams of the wealthy and powerful and extract their most closely guarded secrets
from the depths of their subconscious. "Cities can be built with a single thought from the human
mind. An idea has the power to change the world and rewrite all of the rules "Cobb says
something at one point.
Cobb is an international fugitive because of a horrific action from his past that prevents him from
returning to the United States to visit his children. Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe), a shadowy
corporate titan, offers Cobb the chance to leave his past behind and return home. What about the
job? Inception is the process of implanting an idea into a target's subconscious rather than
stealing one. Saito wants Cobb and his long-term point man, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), to
infiltrate the dreams of Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the heir to an oil empire who also has
daddy issues. Saito wishes to eliminate the competition.
Cobb and Arthur form a team that comprises forger Eames (Tom Hardy), scientist Yusuf
(Avatar's Dileep Rao), and newcomer Ariadne (Ellen Page), an architect who would literally
design and build the world of the mark's dreams. The enigmatic Mal (Marion Cotillard), a lady
from Dom's past who threatens the entire organization, follows Dom in his dreams. (In minor
parts, Michael Caine, Pete Postlethwaite, Tom Berenger, and Lukas Haas appear.) The farther
Cobb and his team go into Fischer's subconscious, the more perilous the operation gets, and the
more likely it is that they will all wind up stranded there – a seemingly endless time in the mind
and a fate that could turn them all into vegetables in the real world.
With Inception, Nolan has created his counterpart to The Big Sleep (ironic given the subject
matter of Nolan's picture), a thriller whose near-indecipherable plotline will baffle brains for
decades to come – or even his 2001, a genre masterpiece destined to confound or astonish
spectators. Or is it Nolan's long-awaited attempt to make a James Bond film? Or a heist thriller
to match Heat? Dreamscape 2.0? Inception is all the above, but it is also a one-of-a-kind
achievement from a filmmaker who has only gotten better with each picture. Inception may very
well be Nolan's finest.
Nolan has built a complex cinematic labyrinth where, like the dreams the characters are entering,
there are multiple levels, each with its own palette and style, referencing the works of Jean
Cocteau, Stanley Kubrick, and Michael Mann at moments. As perplexing as the picture can be at
times (there is a period where at least four different plots are running at the same time), one
never gets the impression that Nolan is lost, and that is the difference between a creative, multi-
layered narrative and a mind job for the sake of being clever.
Although Inception is an intellectual film, it nevertheless manages to entertain. In the heist
moments, there are echoes of the Ocean's flicks, The Matrix at other times, and On Her Majesty's
Secret Service at the snowbound finale (with Hardy as 007). And, unlike Kubrick and Mann,
Nolan keeps the audience emotionally invested in his amoral characters, particularly Cobb, and
never lets the picture become too cold or distant. His all-star cast aids him in this endeavor.
DiCaprio discovers the twisted core of his character, a man who is part robber, part spy, and
whose own guilt-ridden mind is threatening to derail his chances at the fabled one last
assignment. In some ways, Inception is a companion piece to DiCaprio's other mind-bending
thriller, Shutter Island. With his performance in this film, Gordon-Levitt, who, like DiCaprio,
began his career as a kid sitcom actor, continues to establish himself as one of the most
promising up-and-coming dramatic actors. Cotillard shines as the film's closest approach to a
femme fatale, despite having less screen time than the rest of the group. She is undoubtedly
better served here than in Michael Mann's Public Enemies.
Ellen Page has progressed from her Juno persona to her young Jodie Foster period, and she is
excellent as DiCaprio's protege and the audience stand-in for all the essential exposition. It was
fantastic to see Watanabe receive more screen time here than he had in Batman Begins, and he
discovers the compassion in a greedy captain of industry out to destroy the life and livelihood of
another (and probably better) man. (It is important to remember that these characters are
essentially horrible men who are trying to ruin the lives of innocent people, and yet we like
them.) EON would do well to hire Hardy since that Craig is no longer 007). Tom Hardy, who
plays the group's suave guy, is the biggest surprise in the cast; given that most people have not
seen him since Bronson, this will be their first introduction to him. This is his Munich, if
Bronson were his Layer Cake (so when Daniel Craig is no longer 007, EON would do well to
hire Hardy).
On a technical level, the dreamworld visual effects, Hans Zimmer's score, and Wally Pfister's
cinematography are all outstanding. It may sound premature to talk about Oscars, but Inception
has the potential to do for Nolan what Dark Knight did not (i.e., win him an Oscar — or at least a
nomination). His ten-year dedication to this project, the depth of originality and intelligence he is
given to it, and the confidence and skill he displays not only behind the camera but also as a
writer, all call for professional acknowledgment.
Clearly stated, Inception was and continues to be a magnificent achievement and a cinematic
experience well worth viewers’ time. In years full of 3D remakes, reboots, sequels, and vacuous
star vehicles, one hopes that they will reward such fantastic but challenging original
entertainment with their spare time during the long quarantine periods.
References
[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1]
[https://www.metacritic.com/movie/inception]
[https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/inception/reviews?type=top_critics]
[https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/inception-2010]