What dreams may come

Rating: 10/10 (21 July 2010)

Inception will no doubt make Nolan an untouchable in the pantheon of filmmakers. Inception knows no boundaries and asks you to leave all preconceived notions of storytelling behind you. This is a gravity defying thrill ride.
We follow Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man who can enter a person's dream and unlock their deepest secrets, or plant an idea that could potentially transform the person. Haunted by his past, Cobb is forced into exile in Europe where he and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon- Levitt) work as a team in attempting to crack other people's dreams. When they come across a very powerful man, Saito (Ken Watanabe), Cobb is given the opportunity to regain his previous life and return to his family. All he has to do is pull off a nearly impossible job.
Cobb assembles a team of architects, forgers, and chemists. Fueled by Saito's money, the team attempts to crack the mind of one of Saito's leading competitors and persuade him to dissolve his company. Due to time constraints, the job must be planned relatively quickly and without delay. This is Cobb's last shot at a normal life. He doesn't want to lose it.
To explain the full mechanics of the film wouldn't be such a terrible thing to do to you, the reader, but it would take away from the joy of figuring it out. How this task of cracking dreams and inserting ideas (called inception) is complicated and involves many levels. I assure you that you will not be completely lost. Key aspects of the film are easily picked up as it progresses. What I love about this story is that Nolan doesn't take a concept and over analyze it. He just tells us briefly what it is and then moves on. Rather than having a character go on and on about one particular piece of information, we are given almost all the information needed in a short span of time, allowing for more plot development.
The story doesn't succeed by itself. Thanks to fantastic performances by the entire cast, we are given a marvelous film. DiCaprio leads the way with a strong leading role. He is supported by one of my favorites in Gordon-Levitt, whose career is really taking off in a big way. I was glad Ellen Page did not play a Juno type role and broke her adolescent shell. Watanabe was solid (as always). The rest of the cast including Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Michael Cane, and Tom Berenger performed beautifully. I especially loved Hardy's character who was a major contributor in the action department.
Speaking of action, this film is riddled with special effects, the likes of which I have never seen before. Nolan uses a lot of special effects in his films both CG enhanced and live action. It's when he makes the CG special effects look real that I get excited. Through an intricate use of wire stunts and trick photography, Nolan gives us one of the most complex and visually astounding fight sequences put onto film. It reeked of Kurbrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, defying the laws of physics and creating laws of his own to follow.
Nolan's right hand man since Menento has been Wally Pfister, his cinematographer. The way the camera moves effortlessly through each shot, utilizing lighting and the space of the frame is outstanding. Nolan and Pfister have made some of the more beautiful films in recent memory from the grungy streets of London in The Prestige to the always sunny and sometimes foggy shores of Alaska in Insomnia, not to mention Gotham City in both Batman features.
Another aspect of Nolan's films that I have come to expect great things from is the score. He again employs the help of Hans Zimmer whose outstanding work ranges from the light and family oriented The Lion King to the much more serious and adult Gladiator. His talents can suit almost any need. Nolan has used him on three films including Inception, and this one by far takes the cake. It takes on a life of it's own. Although the story virtually consumes you so you can't focus on anything else, if you take a second and drag yourself back to reality you can hear his wonderful score heightening the action (I strongly recommend purchasing/downloading the soundtrack).
I undoubtedly will talk about this film more and more as the months go on and especially as award season approaches, but for the time being I will conclude by giving my highest recommendation for you to go see this film. Not once, not twice, but as much as possible. You will not be disappointed. The ending will take your breath away.