Inception(Christopher Nolan, 2010)
4 Stars
As regular visitors to Silver Screen Lining will know, I’m not one for the blockbuster. Usually I will wait until the hype cools down and the film, as is so often the case with the modern movie, is for the most part forgotten. Being in Japan, however, means that my usual inundation of filmic information has been severely severed, leaving me in a twilight of ignorance as to what is actually going on in the world of cinema.
And so I came to hear of Inception, already slated to be “the best film ever made, ever”. My ever stalwart friends back home sending me ream after ream of cyber-optic telegrams insisting that I go see this film that not only had I no idea of the story, I had not even heard of.
I very rarely take in a movie blind; I usually scour Empire and IMDB for information, troll YouTube for trailers and research the working history of the main players. As such, Inception was something of a treat. What did I know? DiCaprio was in it; always a good start. And Ellen Page was in it; never a good thing. Oh, and it was by Christopher Nolan, the somewhat martyred director of the highly over-hyped The Dark Knight. That was about it.
Inception, DiCaprio tells us, is the art of implanting an idea into someone’s dream. Not an easy feat apparently, even in a world where infiltrating other peoples’ subconsciouses seems to be an everyday piece of espionage. DiCaprio, however, along with his team of reprobates takes up the challenge with gusto, giving us a truly enthralling and thought provoking piece of action.
Amidst the top-notch special effects and intricate story-telling, it is indeed the perfectly cast team that make this a truly memorable escapade. DiCaprio is, as ever, on fine form as master criminal Cobb, with Jason Gordon-Levitt (Third Rock From The Sun) showing that he has cast aside his childish days as Tommy Solomon, growing into a really fine leading man. Tom Hardy (BBC’s Oliver Twist) and Deelap Rao (Drag Me To Hell) are perfectly cast as the background members of the team, giving just the right touch of comic relief whilst at the same time supplying well-rounded and believable characters. Even Ellen Page (Juno, X-Men The Last Stand), who usually makes my eyes bleed with hatred, manages to be a little less than utterly infuriating. Oh, and Ken Watenabe? Well, he’s just fab.
After all the stigma that surrounded The Dark Knight, Nolan has delivered to audiences a film that really does deserve the publicity. Well-shot, engaging and memorable for all the right reasons, Inception is one of those rarities that may well stand the test of time. Well done Mister Nolan, well done indeed.
I went into this movie totally unaware of the hype. I rarely go to the smallish theaters in Japan because it's about 1/2 the screen size as in Hawaii. (Kudamatsu, Hofu and Hiroshima anyway).
ReplyDeleteI am usually not too impressed with Hollywood's hyped up movies. I gotta say that the writing, the editing, the cast and in a bigger way than usual, the soundtrack came together perfectly.
I immediately thought I needed a second look because their are arguments for both sides of the debate surrounding the ending. Even the song used as the "kick" in the movie was perfect and hints lie throughout the movie to allow both sides to "support" their opinion.
This Nolan guy apparently had been waiting for his clout to build to such a point where he could make "his" movie. This is the result of a director and writer being one in the same. The "Inception" of this movie was from when he was 16 and it was rewritten for 10 years. I was stunned by a the pure simplicity of conveying a difficult concept and multi leveled story as I watched and then when I read about it after it all made sense. When the Writer is the Producer who also happens to be the Director a story can be conveyed in a way that feels very un-messed with.
I have a new member of my top 5!!
1. Fail-Safe (1964 version) Dir.Sidney Lumet.
Any movie with an official disclaimer by the U.S.A.F declaring the scenario to be impossible has gotta be good and it's tension building is second to none.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fail-Safe_%281964_film%29
2. The Good the Bad and the Ugly.
An operatic western masterpiece. Sergio Leone and his choice of Clint as the no-name "blondy" was casting genius.
3.Goodfellas.
Always thought Martin was an over rated director but he nailed this and made the greatest modern gangster flick.
4. Saw I
Horror with thought and moral human dilemmas.
Ending and it's musical buildup were classic.
5. Inception
The pure delivery of Nolan's idea to film.
He outta be proud.
If you have never seen the 1964 Fail Safe please do. It's amazing.