An energetic and complex sci-thriller that redefines the saying 'How deep does the rabbit hole go?'

Rating: 8/10 (18 July 2010)

Inception Nolans latest effort is a cleverly constructed and beautifully executed sci-fi thriller, apparently he first pitched the idea to WB in 2003 and then went away to write a script he thought would be finished in a few months, 8 years later the film is released and it's no wonder it took so long to complete.
The film follows Cobb (Leonadro Di Caprio), who specialises in entering people's dreams and stealing valuable secrets his employers. We open with Cobb in the mind of Saito(Ken Watanabe); a business tycoon he needs to retrieve secret documents from, but things go horribly wrong when the subconscious projection of his former wife enters the dream and betrays him. Cobb and his partner Arthur (Joseph-Gordon Levitt) are forced to flee the country as their employers will not tolerate failure, but Saito tracks them down and makes them an offer; Inception. If they can successfully plant an idea into the mind of one of Saitos competitors Saito will pull the strings necessary to grant Cobb the freedom to go back to America and see his kids again.
Cobbs team is consists of Arthur, Yusuf the chemist (Dileep Rao), Eames (Tom Hardy), Adriadne the architect (Ellen Page) who is responsible for creating the dream. Nolan not only manages to create a wonderful story, but also adds his own cyberpunk dialogue to the mix. 'Riding the kick', 'Totems', 'Projections', they all add substance to the world he has created. The origins of this technology are not explored, in fact it's more of an alternate reality than a story set in the future, but it's a world constructed with such attention to detail that it feels real.
What follows is a complex but not overly contrived series of dreams within dreams in order to plant the idea deep enough for it to stick. It's a mixture of theft and business espionage that provides a setting for some wonderful visuals, and in the end the only limitation is the mind of Nolan himself. One scene where Arthur is fighting off the projections of the target inside a rotating corridor is thrilling to watch in all its nauseating vertigo, whilst Cobbs training of Adriadne provide the artistic license to pull a whole host of crazy special effects. Cities bend in half, mirrors smash and turn into streets, it's a world of unlimited potential.
Di Caprio once again proves that he knows how to pick a movie, his Scorsese partnership rarely disappoints, but Nolan has provided the platform for another successful performance. Joseph-Gordon Levitt is able to play his role with both suave coolness and perfectly timed comedic relief, whilst Ellen Page uses her indie image to convey a female lead devoid of the usual stereotypes. The rest of the supporting cast all do a fine job, especially Cillian Murphy as the mind-invaded and emotionally manipulated target of the Inception.
After watching this film I'm still convinced Nolan boasts a flawless oeuvre, every one demonstrates a clear talent for script-writing. Insomnia may be the weakest of them all and it will come as no surprise it's the only film he had no hand in writing in. Nolan however could not resist one final teaser to the audience with Inception. As the film concludes and we are left satisfied with the arc of our protagonist, the camera pans away on to the perpetually spinning totem. As it is about to topple the film cuts away, now I don't think Nolan is seriously trying to imply that Cobb is dreaming, instead I think it's his own clever Inception. To plant an idea into the minds of the audience and watch it grow.