“A MIND BENDER”
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Music by: Hans Zimmer
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.
Genre: Action/Adventure, Thriller, Fantasy
Run Time: 2 hr. 28 min.
Release Date: July 16, 2010
Studio: Warner Bros.
By John Delia
Turn your thinking brain on, grab hold of the arm rests and focus on the screen, that’s my best advice when you go to see Inception, an incredible thriller of a movie. Filled with awesome CGI, fine acting by a notable cast, rigorous direction by The Dark Knight’s Christopher Nolan and a storyline that outshines The Matrix. Inception is for those who like suspense mixed with amazing action.
The story involves Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) as an extractor, a person who steals valuable secrets from people’s dreams. Being accused of his wife’s death, Cobb finds himself caught up in his illegal profession with no way out and must run for his life. He meets Saito (Ken Watanabe) who offers him one last job with a guarantee that he can get him exonerated of the crime. But the world of subconscious thievery is treacherous and sometimes fatal, especially if you get locked inside someone’s dream. Being an expert at extracting doesn’t bother Cobb, but the job he’s asked to perform is inception, planting an idea in someone’s brain. It’s a task that pushes Cobb deeper into the subconscious than he would like to go.
Much like the movie The Departed, it’s the team of excellent actors that makes the story work and with Inception there is no lack of talent. All of the roles are perfectly cast, and each actor easily manages their characters as they get pushed to the limit in the complicated storyline. It’s hard to pick out an outstanding performance, but I have to mention Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur, Cobb’s confident and partner in idea theft. His character’s role is to keep the team in tact and on target, and Gordon-Levitt does a believable job. Acting as the team’s architect, Ellen Page draws from both Cobb and Arthur in order to plan the perfect crime. Her brilliant acting ability takes control of her delicate character and totally inspires.
But the hero here is Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Memento) who wrote, directed and produced Inception. The one-man band creates a world that sucks you into an upheaval of doubt, destruction and dilemma never letting go, even after the curtain has come down. It is truly a guilty pleasure to watch this perceptive piece of entertainment that awakens every cell of your brain and allows you to escape to another world.
Finally, hats off to Hans Zimmer for a dynamic musical score and the crews who made the revolving sets, inserted the CGI and enabled the weightlessness. AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE!
The film is rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout.
FINAL ANALYSIS: A mind bender that won’t let go. (5 of 5)