When I first started reading about "Inception," the latest film from Christopher Nolan, the tagline "Your mind is the scene of the crime" was enough to pique my interest. Those eight words alone seemed to capture the essence of a great Nolan movie - complexity, intrigue, unexpected twists and turns. In a season often dominated by fun but ultimately lackluster popcorn flicks, Nolan takes the intelligent blockbuster to a new level.
In the world of "Inception," technology exists that allows people to explore the depths of other people's minds through dream invasion. We don't know how or why this technology was developed. We know only that it exists, eliminating tedious exposition and allowing the audience to jump right into the intracies of this new world.
Perhaps no one is more knowledgable about dream invasion than Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man shaken by tragedy who has mastered the craft of idea theft, or extraction. After attempting to steal an idea from a powerful man named Saito (Ken Watanabe), Saito hires Cobb to plant an idea in someone's mind, a much more complex process known as inception that few have attempted. If Cobb succeeds, Saito promises to help the broken man get his life back.
Cobb assembles a team of experts, including an architect (Ellen Page), a point man (Joseph-Gordon Levitt), a forger (Tom Hardy) and a chemist (Dileep Rao) to assist him in planting an idea in the mind of their mark Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), a corporate big shot who recently inherited his father's empire.
While trying to accomplish the inception, the process is complicated by Mal (Marion Cotillard), Cobb's dead wife who he frequently manifests in his dreams. And as Cobb and his deam travel deeper and deeper into the dreamscape, it becomes difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is merely a dream.
From "Memento" to "The Prestige" to "The Dark Knight," Nolan never shies away from convoluted plots that make his audience - gasp! - actually have to think at the movies. "Inception" is perhaps his most perplexing film to date, and consequently, one of his best.
Not only is the story well plotted and the script well written, but it's refreshingly original. In an industry dominated by sequels, remakes and adaptations, Nolan dared to take a gamble on a new story and new characters that audiences didn't have pre-existing ties to, and Warner Brothers trusted him to make it a smash all the same.
It's engrossing. It's mind-bending. It's innovative. It's visually stunning, intellecutally stimulating and emotionally engaging. It succeeds and connects on so many levels that more and more blockbusters are unfortunately failing to do.
And rather than banking on popular but hollow actors, Nolan once again assembles an impeccable cast. From the well-known DiCaprio to the little-known Hardy, every actor succeeds in the nuances of character for which such a daunting story calls.
Sharp editing, haunting cinematography, a commanding score and a doozy of an ending worthy of its own separate discussion round out the exceedingly impressive "Inception."
If you haven't seen it yet, step away from the computer and make your way to the nearest multiplex. And even if you have seen it, step away from the computer and make your way to the nearest multiplex. "Inception" is one film for which multiple viewings can only enhance the experience. A
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