Inception is the film that avid film buffs have been waiting for; a film to remember 2010 by. As one, I have been bitterly disappointed and frustrated by the consistent flow of poor quality, underachieving blockbusters released by Hollywood so far this year. In a business that is now dominated by franchises (although Toy Story 3 was exceptional), it is always refreshing to see a wholly original idea that actually respects the intelligence of its audience. With the exception of Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island (which was similarly complex and thought-provoking) and Pixar's latest master work Toy Story 3, 2010 thus far has been a very disappointing year for film.
To fully grasp the concepts that concisely define the plot of Inception it will likely take more than a single viewing, but some definitions are obvious upon the first viewing. This is the work of a man dedicated to his craft and driven by perfection. Having ironed out the faults that have plagued his earlier films, most notably the 'too-smart-for its-own-good' premise of The Prestige (2006), and the wallow into cliche during the concluding third of The Dark Knight, Inception avoids even such minor negatives. The screenplay itself should warrant another Oscar nomination for Nolan, but technically, it is also near flawless. I have heard the film described as The Matrix meeting 007, and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind meets Jason Bourne, but really it is incomparable. Many of the sequences are filmed like a dream, featuring a vibrant otherworldly luminosity, and works to create that subtle confusion between what is a dream and what is reality.
The plot revolves around Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a man who is hired to enter the subconscious dream-state of wealthy corporate businessmen and extract information when the mind is at its most vulnerable, that ultimately reveals their ideas to rivals, who then pay accordingly for the information. As a result of this work, Cobb has been exiled from the United States, both for his illegal thieving, and also under suspicion that he was directly involved with the death of his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard), who committed suicide after falsely believing she was still living a dream, requiring to kill herself in order to wake up. Cobb seeks to be reunited with his children back home, who are under the watch of his father-in-law (Michael Caine). As I discussed earlier, the film opens with Cobb and his partner Arthur (Joesph Gordon-Levitt) trying to extract information from a powerful business mogul Mr Saito (Ken Watanabe). Cobb poses as the leader of Saito's subconscious security to aid him in a defense against the most skilled extractors who may want to access Saito's secrets. Saito considers their proposal and leaves the room, which prompts Arthur to believe that he is aware of their plot.
He assembles a team of experts, including himself and Arthur, Ariadne (Ellen Page) as the architect of the dream world, Eames (Tom Hardy) as the forger capable of shifting identities within the dream state, and Yusuf (Dileep Rao) as the chemist who creates the powerful sedatives capable of allowing the team to share and operate in multiple levels of dreaming. The target is Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), the son of the dying rival of Saito, Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlewaithe). With the ownership of the company to be soon left solely to Robert, the team's assignment is to plant the idea in his head to dismantle his father's monopoly that threatens to run Saito out of business. On a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, the team joins Fischer as he accompanies the body of his father home and through the injection of a strong sedative concocted by Yusuf, make him the subject of a shared dream.
Yusuf hosts the first dream, which is a rainy inner city district. After abducting Fischer, the team is attacked by endless patrols of armed mercenaries, which function as a militarized subconscious acting as antibodies to destroy the invasion of the team and foreign idea they intend to plant. To enable the team to successfully complete the inception and leave the dream space, a 'kick' (or a feeling of free-falling) within the embedded dream must be staged to return the team to the previous dream level and ultimately reality. Normally, killing a member of the team within the dream would allow them to awake, but solely for this mission will result in their isolation into limbo, unable to differentiate between what is a dream and what is reality. Once the team discovers that the former method is in place, conflict ensues and consensus is to abort the mission immediately.
Inside of a hotel room, the team enters the next dream sequence (in fact the next level of Fischer's subconscious). This is a snowy mountain hospital facility that Fischer must infiltrate to reveal the embedded idea. Fisher works with Saito to infiltrate the facility, while Eames distracts the seemingly infinite attacking mercenaries. Saito dies of his injuries experienced in the first dream level, and Fischer is shot and killed by Mal, who once again sabotages the mission. Ariadne and Cobb follow Fischer into limbo in an attempt to kick him back to the facility to ensure the successful inception. Eames remains behind and scatters charges for the final kick. In limbo they find Mal who tries to convince Cobb to stay with her by taunting him about his perception of reality, and that she is the only thing that is real. Ariadne kicks back Fischer, who awakens and opens the vault to find his father dying in a bed. He concludes that his father would be disappointed if he turned into him, and decides to dismantle the empire. In limbo, Cobb decides to remain and search for Saito to bring him back, and misses the kick. Eames blows the charges causing the facility to be destroyed, while Arthur (in zero gravity) has moved all his colleagues into a lift and places charges that cause the lift to rise from the impact, while the van, which has been free falling from the bridge, finally hits the water. The activity within the different dream levels is masterfully edited together and the extension of time present in the lower dream levels is fused together to create cohesive linearity. The trio of kicks causes all of the team to awaken on the plane.
The conclusion is intentionally ambiguous. Cobb tracks down Saito, who is incredibly old, to remind him that he is stuck in Limbo and that his perceived reality is in fact a dream. Saito remembers their agreement, and recognizes the top found on Cobb. It is assumed that Saito shoots them both, and with the timer now ended and the sedative worn off, this causes them to wake back in reality on the plane. Saito calls his customs contact and Cobb is allowed to enter the United States, where he is greeted by his father-in-law and taken home to see his children. But if Saito shoots just himself, then Limbo would be solely in control of Cobb. Remaining in this dream state, his world could be transformed into his perfect reality, free of pursuit from the authority and granted freedom to see his children. This is confirmed if the top keeps spinning at the conclusion, while it signifies reality if it topples. This is left completely to the audience to decide, but i establish it is the former theory.
The cast is brilliantly assembled, and features some striking performances. Leo is as solid as always as his performance effortlessly balances a figure capable of confident leadership but clouded by a heartbreaking emotional vulnerability at his core. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page are two of the best young stars in the business and their diverse skills shine through here. Ken Watanabe, as usual, is great, and Tom Hardy (whose recent breakthrough performance in Bronson has drawn comparisons to Ed Norton) has lots of fun, and shines through as the hero here. Mario Cotillard, whose luminous beauty is unrivaled, also gives a powerful performance. Time was taken by Nolan to ensure that the characters were interestingly conceived and then impeccably cast. I can't fault this cast, and even wily veteran Michael Caine effortlessly extends his wisdom.
I really loved the incredibly calculated deconstruction of the time image that succeeds in being both meticulously crafted to enable such an enormous scope to this ingenious concept, while at the same time valuing the intelligence of the audience and allowing them to deconstruct the plot concisely. It is never too smart for its own good. The action is intense and thrilling, and the dream levels possess such an originality. Technically, it is flawless, especially Hans Zimmer's score, which is amazing, and one of the greatest film scores I have ever experienced. The cinematography by Wally Pfister is stunning and Lee Smith should have the editing Oscar wrapped up already. It demands and rewards on multiple viewings, and it is one of the most engrossing cinema experiences since There Will be Blood (2007).
My Rating: 5 Stars (A)
