Following, Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige and, The Dark Knight; after you make such mind boggling films which are a combination of fantastic complex cinema and breathtaking entertainment, the audience expects something even better, and you’re bound to end up scratching your head, running short of ideas. But, Christopher Nolan is one such man whose excellence has no boundaries; his creativity never seems to drain out.
It all starts at a sea shore. Dom Cobb (Leonardo Di Caprio), is found unconscious by an armed guard, who takes him to a rich, elderly man’s chamber. The old man recognises Cobb at once but Cobb does not. Next, we know that Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state. He and his friend Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are assigned by a company in England to extract secrets from a Japanese bigwig, Saito’s (Ken Watanabe) mind. It turns out that Saito knew about Cobb’s plans and was in turn auditioning the team for his own mission. He offers Cobb a one last job, against a competitor company inherited by Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), this time creating the whole idea and dream, known as Inception. The reward: Lots of money and a clean chit for Cobb to go back to the US, as he is not allowed to enter the nation (reason revealed later in the film). So Cobb now starts assembling a team along with Arthur. He recruits a new architect, a student named Ariadne (Ellen Page), who creates the dream world architecture. Then, Eames (Tom Hardy), a forger who can shift his identity inside the dream, and, Yusuf (Dileep Rao), a chemist who formulates the sedatives needed to enter the dream world. Throughout the recruitment process, the rules of entering the dream world, surviving there and coming out are explained. The main plot is about how this team tries to enter Fischer’s mind and if they succeed in their heist.
If you found this story exciting and complex, it is just 10% of the entire film. Inception is full of surprises right from the beginning, one of them is the subtitles, which I think the Indian distributors wanted to incorporate not because of the varied accents but they wanted the Indian audience not to miss out on even the minutest details. The build up to each stage of the film is fascinating. The cast is awesome throughout, especially Leonardo Di Caprio and Ellen Page. Although, Marion Cotillard’s character Mal (Cobb’s wife) has not got a great scope in the film, she’s done well. The high scale cinematography is stunning, while the editing is crisp and sharp. And the background score adds a cherry on the top. But the main hero of the film is the Inceptor of the idea, the film’s creator, Christopher Nolan. His storytelling is compelling and innovative to the core. He has weaved the magic of this dream world in the most believable manner almost effortlessly, combining visual extravaganza with intellectual brilliance. Writing something like this is challenging, and executing it is more so; but Nolan's done it with ease. There are some sequences in the film that he has designed simply to sweep people off their feet. That this man is the best filmmaker today, is incontrovertible.
Inception is a treat for those who love their minds to be questioned by the filmmaker, those who love to be involved right from the first frame of the film, and those who are ardent fans of the sci-fi/thriller/mystery/action genres. You really wouldn’t want to watch this one with a lover. Please don’t watch if you thought you could keep your brains locked at home and enjoy. The only loophole in the film is the interval which is like a speed-breaker that spoils your 300 kmph drive on the expressway. They should screen this one without an interval.
Certainly the best movie of the decade contender followed by The Dark Knight. For me, it’s way better than Avatar, as Cameron took a 12-13 years long break before he came out with the 3D spectacle with a less interesting story. With Nolan, it was just a matter of exactly 2 years to make this flawless film. This one's beyond the reach of our film industry. Hail Christopher Nolan!!!!
Rating: 5/5
