“Non, Rien de rien, Non, Je ne regretted Rien”
When was the last time you saw a big budget summer blockbuster that didn’t treat its audience like idiots. Strangely enough it was two years ago and the movie was The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan has done it again. Inception is an intelligent and thoughtful movie with sublime acting, fantastic photography and a plot with just enough ambiguity to emphasise the existential themes.
Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a sort of corporate spy, he steals information from peoples subconscious via their dreams. He is hired to use the technology involved to do something believed to be impossible “inception” (you may know what inception is from the trailer or other reviews, if you don’t I won’t give it away). There is also in issue with ghosts Cobb’s past. To do this he recruit’s a team who all have there own ability: Point man, Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt); Forger, Eames (Tom Hardy); Architect, Ariadne (Ellen Page); Chemist, Yusuf (Dileep Rao). Playing out somewhere between a heist movie and a con-man man movie Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy) is The Mark.
Early in the movie Cobb explains to Ariadne (Ellen Page) that “you never really remember the beginning of a dream, you always wind up in the middle of what’s going on”, that’s how the movie starts, right in the action, is that telling us something about what we are seeing? That’s something I really can’t give away! Cobb also mentions “the chance to build cathedrals and cities, things that never existed”. As well as an explanation of what they are doing in the movie this also sounds like a definition of filmmaking, and more importantly sci-fi/fantasy filmmaking. And that is what this is, as well as everything else this movie is Christopher Nolan’s love letter to cinema. Having made a billion dollars with The Dark Knight, he could have made any movie, who at Warner would have had the balls to say no to him? Where some directors would have gone for a small arty film and others an explosive blockbuster with a big budget, Nolan made both. What could have been a rambling esoteric mess is actually by far the best movie of the year.
There is a song that plays a recurring and significant role in the movie, there is nothing in the plot to suggest it has to be a particular song, but they use the same one throughout: Non, je ne regrette rien sung by Édith Piaf. Is this a reference to regrets the characters may have or is it an in joke (Marion Cotillard played Édith Piaf in La Vie en rose). Nolan is keen to play down both possibilities saying he chose it because of its distinctive sound. Another nice touch is the amount of real action on display in the movie where it would have been cheaper and easier to achieve with CGI such as the rotating hallway, that that really was achieved by rotating the set, but we are dealing with the director who somersaulted a truck two years ago. That’s not to say there isn’t CGI in this movie, there is a lot of it but it is used in the right way and the right place to achieve what is impossible in the real world like a Paris street folding over on itself.
With the dark tone of the Batman movies Nolan is has gained an unfairly dour reputation. This movie also at times demonstrates a great sense of fun with Joseph Gordon-Levitt zero graffiti antics and Tom Hardy’s wonderfully over the top delivery. We also have Gordon-Levitt and DiCaprio running around in tuxedos looking like young versions of James Bond. Continuing that theme there is also a skiing scene reminiscent of 70’s Bond movies. DiCaprio plays it serious with a semi permanent scowl on his face he is always believable in his character, his scenes with both Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page are sensational. You leave the movie wanting to know more about these characters.
The greatest testament to the quality of the script is despite the labyrinthine story it isn’t as hard to follow as you may have been told. Without giving anything away the ending is perfect.
The first ever movie to achieve Five Stars out of Five.
Agreed on all fronts! That hallway fight was amazing! I also love how he created the avalanche by actually causing an avalanche!
Th ending was perfect! There was a very heated conversation on the way home between me and my friends.
The end was so good, one thing I forgot to say above, there was applause at the end of the movie. The other thing I didn’t say above for spoiler reasons:
1 – The top keeps spinning and he is in limbo
2 – It topples, he is home
3 – It doesn’t matter what the top does, he never made it out of limbo the first time when Mal killer herself to get out.
Great film. Loved it. And it did well enough at the box office that maybe the major studios might start accepting that we’re not, as you say, idiots.
Wasn’t too hot on Page and her not really having much impact in the film, or “Non, je ne regrette” being used as I couldn’t help but associate it with Marion as Edith.
Otherwise, defintely the smartest, most engaging film I’ve seen in a long time. I just loved how most other directors out there would have screwed something up, but Nolan’s execution in every aspect is phenomenal. If the rumours of this being a ten-year project are true, it’s a very worthwhile labour of love.
You’ve probably seen them but Primer and Waking Life are two awesome movies that don’t treat you like an idiot.
Yes, I have seen and love them both and love them.
I loved this, I did. I dread the half-assed ripoffs to come, though.
“From the makers of Date Movie, Dance Movie and Epic Movie comes this year’s blockbuster… Dream Movie”
Its like going back ten years to the Matrix, there was some real crap following that.
First, great lead and kudos on catching the Edith Piaf song — that flew right by me! You are one perceptive dude.
I love that “Inception” has a little of everything: jaw-dropping effects (like JGL’s rotating hallway fight scene), a killer score, great acting (DiCaprio and Cotillard foremost, but Watanabe, JGL and Hardy as well), drama and action and humor and deep feeling. It’s really the total package, and I have a hard time seeing in it all the flaws so many seem to have found!
It beats Kick-Ass and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo as my favourite movie of the year.
I have just finished listening to you on the matinee-cast, great job.
Really,it is a intelligent and thoughtful movie…Also,it has a fantastic photography associated with the film were attract us…
trailers
ill bet you were salivating Fands when it turned into a Bond movie towards the end
The end, it started as a Bond movie too. You have to admit you really want to see a Christopher Nolan Bond movie.
Yes, intelligent and poignant, my head was spinning but I was mesmerized by it. Just realized there was a song from La vie en rose as I haven’t seen the movie, but I read somewhere that Nolan already picked it before casting Cotillard. The Bond homage was quite obvious I think, the ski action sequence is one, and the chase in Tangier reminds me of The Living Daylights as well. The hallway fight scene was cool indeed, and I love the trumpeting score of Hans Zimmer. If Michael Caine is Nolan’s lucky penny in the cast, Zimmer is one in the soundtrack.
Mesmerized, that about sums it up. I am going to see it again!
I still haven’t seen it, but praise that high coming from you Andy, and I buy it.
I’m going on Saturday, and I really hope it’s as good as you all say.
I think you may just like it.
“zero graffiti antics” JGL has often been an outspoken opponent of anti-social behaviour.