A Work of Art

Rating: 10/10 (16 June 2011)

I am contemplating my review. I really don't know where to begin except to say this movie is a work of art. Christopher Nolan is the artist and Inception is his masterpiece. I really don't see where he can go from here.
I won't go into detail about the plot because it will give to much away. Essentially a man named Dom Cobb(Leonardo DiCaprio) takes one last job to plant a idea inside Robert Fischer Jr's(Cillian Murphy) mind. So he can be able to go back to the United States and be with his children. I won't tell you why he can't go back it's a big part of the plot. The story is a dark tale about dreams and reality. None of these characters are good guys after all they break into peoples minds. Still you end up liking these flawed characters and root for them. That sometimes the dream becomes our reality and you can't tell the difference. That sometimes we prefer our dreams to the real world. The ending will leave you questioning what happened and what was real and what was the dream. If you don't pay attention this movie can be hard to follow. At one point near the climax there are four different plots going at the same time.
The cast and acting was superb. Besides Leo who we should all know. There's Cillian Murphy(28 days Later/Sunshine), Ken Watanabe(The Last Samurai/Batman Begins), Joseph Gordon-Levitt(3rd Rock From The Sun/The Lookout), Ellen Page(Juno/Whip It), and Tom Hardy(Layer Cake/Bronson) round out the staring cast. All of which do a great job. Though I think Watanabe, Gordon-Levitt, and Hardy were the best. Rounding out the supporting cast were Marion Cortillard(Public Enemies) and such veterans as Tom Berenger(Platoon/Sniper), Pete Postlethwaite(The Usual Suspects/Alien 3), and Michael Caine(The Quiet American/The Dark Knight). The Michael Caine only had about three minutes of work in this film if that. Tom Berenger did a wonderful job with what he had to work with.
With this complex story that is hard to follow some people might think there isn't any action or suspense. They would be wrong. From the opening scene the suspense builds until the stunning climax that I think will leave you speechless.
Then there's the music by Hans Zimmer(Backdraft/Crimson Tide/The Dark Knight). Virtually every score he composes for a film ends up being a great.
Finally there is the the directing by Christopher Nolan. A directer who has far as I know hasn't made a bad film yet. Hell he hasn't made a average film yet. All his films are good if not great and he just keeps on getting better. From Memento to Insomnia to Batman Begins and The Prestige to finally The Dark Knight. As if he was honing his craft for this film. The film he's been working on for years. Like I said his masterpiece. He is without the doubt the best director of this past decade and it looks like he will be in this decade. Is he one of the best directors of all time. With the likes of Eastwood, Spielberg, or Kurosawa. No he's not but he's well on his way.
Overall for me this is the best movie of the summer. The best movie I've seen since The Dark Knight and one of the best films I've ever seen. This is how films should be made with great writing, amazing acting and music and wonderful directing. It's hard to find in Hollywood now a days with endless sequels, remakes, and unimaginative or original stories. It's not the first to delve into this territory. Films like Dark City and The Matix(Before the ruined it with the crappy sequels) all went in this direction but only Nolan brought it to reality. If there is truly one movie to see this summer Inception is it. I am going to see it multiple times.