And now for my first 4-star review of 2010.
INCEPTION
Christopher Nolan
Christopher Nolan
148 min.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Caine
PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.
Dreams have been said to be a manifestation of our subconscious using ideas and images we are familiar with to convey complex ideas. Sometimes they are enjoyable, sometimes they are frightening, but often they are undeniably intriguing. Christopher Nolan’s long percolating film Inception is all of these things, enjoyable, frightening and undeniably intriguing.
Set in a time that could be our own or in the near future, Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an Extractor, a dream criminal who maneuvers through constructed artificial environments in others’ dreams in order to trick them into revealing secrets that can prove lucrative for him and his associates. After allowing the memory of his late wife Mal (Marion Cotillard) to interfere and botch a job, he replaces his current Architect, or artificial environment creator, and bring in outside assistance.
Ariadne (Ellen Page) is thought to be one of his father’s (Michael Caine) brightest students and joins Cobb and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) on a new assignment at the behest of a former, unsuccessful target: Saito (Ken Watanabe). The rest of the team consists of Eames (Tom Hardy), the forger who impersonates people the victim knows well; and Yusuf (Dileep Rao) the chemist who helps them and their victim achieve the necessary depth of sleep to penetrate the third, thought-to-be-unachievable, layer of dream consciousness.
Building heavily on his time-shifting achievements in films like Memento and, to a lesser extent, The Dark Knight, Nolan is quickly setting himself up as one of cinema’s best genre filmmakers. Inception is the kind of film that almost requires multiple viewings. It is a rich tapestry of interwoven plot threads, beautiful visuals and an emotional core that to some might feel cold and unattached. His plot deals superficially with the power of love and its capability to linger on in our subconscious. Guilt over the death of his wife plagues his mind, creating dangerous situations for him and his associates.
For DiCaprio’s part, the film feels like a natural fit for him. He’s had a great deal of experience with reality-bending features (Shutter Island) and romantic dramas (Revolutionary Road and Titanic). Although the film doesn’t give him too many high-impact acting moments, there are a sufficient number to allow him to stretch himself into familiar emotions.
Page wouldn’t have been my first choice for the role, but when you see her in it, you wonder who else could have pulled it off that well. Having worked opposite talented actors like Patrick Wilson in Hard Candy and Jason Bateman in Juno, it’s no surprise she keeps up with DiCaprio. Gordon-Levitt and Hardy are also well fit into the story, creating characters you want to know more about, yet ultimately discover very little. Cotillard doesn’t lift this performance to the level of the ones she gave in La Vie en Rose or Nine, but she does sufficiently well given her character’s purpose in the film.
A film like this relies heavily on its technical elements to achieve an otherworldly feel while maintaining their roots in reality. The visual effects blend CGI embellishment with old style magic. The perfect example of this wonderful blend is in a scene set in a hallway of a hotel in the second layer of dreaming while the first layer’s SUV is freefalling backwards off a bridge. The weightlessness is done with traditional filmmaking techniques including a mechanically rotating set piece and acrobatic wires, yet enhanced by CGI effects to create a seamless whole.
And when you’re bouncing between dream layers, a good editor is a must and Lee Smith delivers an eloquent blend of sequences. Without confusing the audience, Smith strategically jumps from one scene to the next making the entire time-consuming process look miraculously simple. The environments created by production designer Guy Hendrix Dyas fit perfectly into the framework of the film. Add to this the masterful blend of audio cues and music and you have a superlative achievement.
Hans Zimmer’s compositions have often teetered on the brink of banality. He has a tendency to recycle his recognizable melodies, but like compatriot John Williams, he has managed here to break free of those typical constraints and create a compelling musical narrative that’s almost as impressive as the film itself. Urging Nolan to retain the perfectly chosen trigger song “Non, je ne regrette rien” despite the presence of Cotillard who played the song’s chanteuse in an Oscar-winning performance, he takes the melody, slows it down and creates a pounding, aural punctuation that fits flawlessly into the film.
While it may seem a bit early to talk Oscars, Inception may well be one of the big contenders in a number of categories this year, including Best Picture, a category Nolan’s films have been unable to crack. Also look for nominations in Original Score, Editing, Art Direction, Sound, Sound Editing and Visual Effects and at least two or three of those nominations turning into Oscars.
This is a film that while easy to follow, possesses several layers of meaning, each up for individual interpretations, especially that surprising, but fitting denouement. Is reality really all we perceive it to be or is someone carefully orchestrating our lives. Cases could easily be made for a metaphorical interpretation of fate, religion or any number of philosophical concepts. Although a second viewing may help foster more contemplative examinations, the first time through should provide plenty of grist for debate.
Inception is also proof that studios don’t have to layer on the lame and predictable or the idiotic and the inane to sell a film. Inception is a smart, accomplished and relatable experience that anyone who enjoys endless discussions or commiseration should enjoy.
August 10, 2010
Inception
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