The Lost Art of Storytelling

Rating: 10/10 (19 July 2010)

Inception is a masterpiece, but in a very real sense that's too easy a description, and one which most film-goers will instantly be suspicious of. Better to describe it as elegant, bravura film-making; emotive but not manipulative, profoundly intelligent but not preachy or patronizing, subtle but not impenetrable, thoughtful but not melancholy, literally bursting with creative energy yet unashamed to pay homage to its recognizable influences, and framed by powerful performances upon which Christopher Nolan easily hangs his intricately shot and crafted tale, from strong cameos from the likes of Tom Berenger and Pete Postlethwaite to entertaining support from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy to carefully constructed and well-honed central performances from Di Caprio, Ellen Page and the glorious, lovely-yet-terrifying Marion Cotillard, whom the camera seems to love and fear in equal measure. At its core its a simple heist thriller, but its allowed to expand into so many other areas - action, romance, philosophy, psychology, even architectural analysis - without ever getting out of control, and the impression one gets is that of a supremely confident director in total command of every aspect of his medium, thoroughly enjoying playing around with ideas, images and concepts he's been mulling over for years. Its a film which requires and rewards constant attention to its various layers, all of which run in parallel in a mind-churning, yet very simple and believable fashion, and which avoids descending into the trap of over-explanation so common in summer blockbusters. And its never distant or overly analytical, retaining a real human core at the very centre of its technical brilliance. From its initially inexplicable introduction to its triumphant conclusion, Inception runs riot with, and ultimately destroys, the notion that audiences need to be treated as idiots to enjoy movies, or that film-making by focus group or committee is a plausible substitute for singular vision or creative endeavour. Bravo, Christopher Nolan. Your best film yet, and I can't wait to see what's next.