The one advantage that has arisen from the halting of production on New Movies, is that classics from Yesteryear are back on the Big Screen. It does make me feel ridiculously old that Inception is celebrating its Tenth (!!) Anniversary, and Vicki and I went to the Cinema to catch it tonight. What a movie…
I happened to be going through my computer and I came across an old review I wrote, not long after Inception first hit back in 2010. Back in the days before Coffee & Heroes was even an idea let alone a dream.
I would like to share that review here. Even though this was probably the twentieth time (and then some…) I’ve seen this movie, it continues to be one of my absolute favourites. I’d go so far as to call it THE Best Movie of the Last Decade. And in a Decade dominated by Comic Book Adaptations, I realise that is some statement. And here is why I am confident making it…
Now, through the magic of time travel, is my review from 2010, of Christoper Nolan’s Inception –
‘Sometimes, people deserve to have their faith rewarded’ – Commissioner Gordon, The Dark Knight, 2008.
‘It’s fair to say that as little as 30 minutes into Inception, Christopher Nolan’s latest masterpiece, that it was this quote from The Dark Knight that kept rattling around my head. My journey to see Inception was a long and tortuous one. The first trailer came out maybe a full year before the film was released, and immediately I was hooked.
Then came a second trailer, maybe six months before the film was due to be released. A little longer, but still, the synopsis was not forthcoming, and I still had no idea what this was about, I just knew I had to see it.
It was at this point I decided to try something different when looking forward to a movie. I purposefully avoided all trailers, articles and previews for it. If a story popped up on aintitcool.com or in Empire, I avoided it. When it was finally released, there were plenty of advance reviews. Again I avoided them all. Released on a Friday, wouldn’t it just be my luck, I had to work. The avoidance went on. So I got up early on the Saturday, dragged myself out of bed, and headed for an 11am showing.
I grabbed my popcorn, got the best seats in the house (I was after all the first person to come in for this early showing), and awaited the start of the film. Encouragingly, after the 15 minutes of pointless adverts, and the 10 minutes of ‘meh’ trailers, the cinema was half full. The screen went black, we had the BBFC classification screen, and we’re off.
I have waited until Inception has been out a few weeks before posting this review, so I trust if you are reading this, then you have seen the movie in its entirety. If not, why not? And more importantly *SPOILERS AHEAD*.
The music hits you like a foghorn over the black screen and then we’re on a beach. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Cobb, is washed up on the shore and barely conscious. A Japanese soldier finds him, sees he is packing a firearm and drags him inside to his boss, an old man who enjoys his food in a plush and luxurious room. As well as the gun, another curious item was found on Cobb, a small spinning top. The old man recognises the small item and a quick, almost aimless conversation ensues.
Flashforward (or backwards?) to the same room, but Cobb looking much more dapper in a dark suit, his partner, Arthur (played by the always interesting Joseph Gordon-Levitt) present and another conversation with a younger Japanese businessman. They discuss ideas, and how the technology now exists where someone can enter your mind and steal your secrets, either personal or business related. Boom, we have the unique selling point of the movie, and we’re only 5 minutes in.
Cut again, and the same characters are all asleep, hooked up to some sort of a machine in a small hotel room. Outside the hotel, a riot is ensuing. Back to the scene with Cobb and Arthur and the world around them is shaking. They look up to the sky and ask themselves ‘What’s going on out there?’, and we’re back to the hotel room. The penny drops. They are actually in a dream right now, and the outside world affects the dreamworld. Suffice to say, this leads to a great action scene, as Cobb tries to escape, having got the information he required. But before he can, his character in the hotel room is given the ‘kick’ ie the small, sharp jolt that will get him out of the dreamworld. The dream collapses and he is back to reality. Or is he?
You may need to read through all of that again for it to make sense. But that’s the point, this is a film that rewards watching closely. A film that explicitly tells you the rules, but its your job to remember them and see how it makes sense when gravity is taken away, or a city starts to fold on itself. The images are awe inspiring and unusual, but they make perfect sense within the reality that Christopher Nolan is establishing. You don’t need to know what makes the technology tick that allows them to enter dreams, that’s unimportant. The film does asks you to accept certain jumps in realworld logic, but you are rewarded for that acceptance. Oh, are you rewarded.
From a zero gravity fight scene in a hotel corridor, to a tense chase through the streets of Tangiers, to a James Bond homage in the snow, the action constantly excites and surprises. From this point of view alone, the film succeeds as an entertainment spectacle. However, it is the emotional journey of the character of Cobb that gives the film balance, purpose and most importantly, heart. Cobb has long been self-exiled from his home, ever since he was accused of murdering his wife. In exchange for this freedom, he has been forced to give up direct contact with his children, leaving them to the care of their grandmother.
So the film becomes Cobb’s journey back home, and how can he possibly achieve it? The answer comes in the form of Saito. As Cobb is exiled, and therefore has no employer, he is a mercenary of sorts, a man for hire. As he puts it at one point, ‘there are only so many ways to utilise such a unique skill, and its not always legal’. Saito is one such interested party, a man who challenges Cobb to perform ‘Inception’. Cobb specializes in extraction. He is able to extract information from people’s minds, but what if he could plant an idea into their head, something that would affect their real world plans and ideals? Saito tells him that if he is able to perform this task on one of his competitors, then he has the power and political sway to facilitate his way home. Against Arthur’s wishes, Cobb takes the job and then sets about recruiting a team to help him achieve it. And so the true nature of the film is brought to light. It’s a heist film, a very unique and modern heist film to be exact.
To say more would be a tragedy as this is a film that deserves to be discovered by the individual. You can take many different meanings from the film, and whatever you do it will be personal to your own life experiences. It is a film exploring the idea of suicide. It is a film about ‘pure creation’ and the endless possibilities. It is a film about how to deal with loss of a loved one. It is a film exploring the idea of the soul. It is a film about questioning your own reality. It is all of the above and more. Or if you prefer, it’s just a great action and suspense tale.
The performances are uniformally excellent. Special mention goes first to Joseph Gordon Levitt. I have followed his career with a keen eye ever since Brick, back in 2006. Since then he’s moved onto the little seen, but excellent ‘The Lookout’, helped to redefine the romantic comedy with ‘500 Days of Summer’ and now he’s taking his turn with a big studio picture. He nails the loyalty and coolness of Arthur. His character also grows as the film goes on. At one point Eames refers to him as having ‘no imagination’. But just sit back and marvel as he has to work out how to give everyone the necessary kick in the second dreamworld. I mentioned Eames, a character played with great gusto and playfullness by Tom Hardy. I must admit I am not too familiar with his work, but on this basis will be watching out for what he moves onto next. Ellen Page also makes the most with her role as a female Basil Exposition, remarkable that I think that given my 100% deep rooted hatred of Juno and more specifically her character in it.
But it falls to DiCaprio to steal the show. DiCaprio seems to polarise people. Some people think he’s just a pretty boy who can’t act. An actor who always looks like a boy when the character is a man. I must admit, he is one of the few actors I would go to see a movie they are in based on the strength of his name alone. The other two are Christian Bale (He’s Batman for god’s sake!) and The Greatest Actor of All Time (TM) Kurt Russell. Shutter Island is already in the top ten films of the year, and in the last ten years DiCaprio has starred in The Departed, Body of Lies, Blood Diamond, Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can and The Aviator. You check out those roles and every one of them is individual. There could never be any accusations thrown at him for playing it safe. And now with Inception, I think he’s delivered his finest performance. All the action, the ideas and imagination of Inception would have led to a great film regardless. But its your belief in Cobb’s torment, his guilt, his desire to get back to his family no matter what the cost, that elevates this film to something truly special.
All this, and I haven’t even mentioned Hans Zimmers Career Best Score, which is guaranteed to give you goosebumps.
*MAJOR SPOILERS*
Which brings us to the films ‘controversial’ end. I use quotation marks because I don’t get what all the fuss was about. People have said that it left it too open ended, that it might not be reality, that after 2 and 1/2 hours of investment, that we deserved a definitive answer. Nolan gave you it. But again its something that is expanded upon during repeated viewings. Of course its reality, and the clues are there. Cobb never wears a wedding ring in reality, but does so in the dream sequences. At the end? No ring. Every time he comes out of a dream, he has to use his totem to establish reality. This is the one time, he doesn’t need to wait for it to drop, he knows he’s home. The children are visibly older, and he purposefully avoided looking at their faces at any other point but here he makes a beeline for them. And then of course, Michael Caine’s character never exists in any of the dreams, only in reality.
But here’s a sample reaction.
But can you tell me another film in the last 10, 20 years that has inspired this kind of reaction? That is why this movie is special. That is why it will be studied and admired for many years to come. Christopher Nolan has indeed made his masterpiece. And given that his film prior to this wasn’t bad, that’s as high a compliment as I can give it.
Enjoy the adulation Chris, you deserve it. Just don’t take too long before you get to Batman 3…….’
And finish off the Batman Trilogy, he most certainly did!
Until next time….
Alan
