Inception - Tim J.

Great expectations are a cinephile's curse. Which of you can't recall at least a handful of instances when you'd been looking forward to a film like a child to Christmas only to be left wondering how things could go so terribly wrong? Being let down by a sequel or an actor is to be expected but when you choose a film on the basis of its director you are treading on thin ice, always prepared to be disillusioned by his next film. The Mist, Eyes Wide Shut and Tetro are a few of the films that should never have seen the light of day, at least not bearing the names Darabont, Kubrick and Coppola.

What better time for Chris Nolan to finally let us down. After grossing tens of millions with low-budget film Memento and hundreds of millions with his latest big budget film even less pessimist moviegoers must have prepared to come down to earth in the face of a sweeping $160 million summer blockbuster. But as in the case of The Dark Knight, Nolan has managed to produced an epic that does not take its audience for stupid.

When it comes to extracting secrets from you while you're dreaming, Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is the best there is. If this sounds like an improbable job description to you think about the possibilities this line of work offers. Torturing someone for information may work as well but you don't know whether the info is correct and since the victims knows you know if will probably change its plans. In dream espionage however the subject never knows what hit it or even that something did. Cobb is ready to quit for good when a wealthy businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe) offers him a final gig that would allow Cobb to return to the USA and see his children, which he has been unable to do since becoming the prime suspect in the death of his wife (Marion Cotillard). This job however is a lot more difficult than his previous ones since instead of stealing an idea he is to plant one in the victim's subconscious, so deep that he believes it is his own - a process called Inception. To this end, spoiled energy syndicate heir Robert Fischer (played brilliantly by Cillian Murphy) is preyed upon by Cobb and his team so they can plant in him the idea to split up his syndicate, which would make Saito world market leader.
So far, so complicated? That's just the beginning of a two and a half hour-movie that flies by like an episode of 24 without the shaky camera. When you see the team hook themselves up to a machine to enter the dream world you are inevitably reminded of the Matrix but Inception makes that film, once my favourite, look like a video game for 12-year-olds.

Although most of the action takes place in dreams Nolan does not resort to CGI landscapes a la Lovely Bones. Instead almost all scenes were shot on set, with widget spinning entire corridors and lounges and dolls posing for sleeping protagonists. And his efforts are not in vain. The viewer is not only bedazzled by the cinematography but also constantly wondering 'how the heck did he do that?' Which makes it one of a few films of which I can't wait to see the making of. In times where stuntmen have been replaced by the more expensive but less demanding bits and bytes it is refreshing to see images with natural texture and weight.

Unless the Academy gets it completely wrong (which as we know never happens, nudge nudge) Inception will be nominated for at least a couple of the following: Best Picture (which would be fun as the producers are Nolan and his wife), Director, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Original Score, Original Screenplay and Cinematography. You will have noticed that none of these concern acting skills. Don't get me wrong, the cast is all but perfect. From experience however I must acknowledge that it is hard to score an Oscar or even a nomination without doing a funny voice (Bullock, Winslet, Whitaker), a handicap (Hanks, DiCaprio, Day-Lewis) or singing (Foxx, Bridges, Phoenix). But don't give up hope, Leo. Pesci, Clooney, Hanks, Brody, Penn, Washington and Spacey all managed to contradict this theory and so can you. It is also likely that Marion Cotillard will be nominated for Best Supporting Actress or even Lead Actress, depending on what mood the jury is in. Anyone of these would be well-deserved. As an Englishman, Chris Nolan might receive even more acclaim at the BAFTAs.

As a captious critic I have of course been pondering what flaws Inception has. Believe me, there aren't many. Pointing out what's wrong with Inception is like pointing out what's wrong with President Obama. In theory you could do it but, hey, they're by far the best we've seen in a long time. So why ruin the moment? I doubt that 2010 will see another film as good as this and am planning to see Inception again this week, expecting it to be even better than the first time. Because yes I can.