Inception
5/5
(M) 148 mins
In an age of hackneyed film remakes and increasingly desperate sequels, when a film comes along which is truly original it's all the more memorable for it.
Inception is just such a film, combining a truly head-spinning plot with strong performances from an A-list cast, top-rate special effects
and a haunting score.
It centres around Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), who is a rare talent in the field of extraction, stealing secrets from a person's subconscious while the subject is asleep.
His ability has made him a sought-after talent for corporate espionage, but a lifetime of entering people's minds while they sleep has cost Cobb much, including the ability to return to the United States where his young children are waiting for him.
Cobb gets an unexpected lifeline when a wealthy businessman offers him the chance to return to his homeland, only if he can perform an inception - planting an idea in someone's head.
Inception is not a film to be watched casually - its plot is complex and rewarding for those who put the effort in to figure it all out.
Regardless, there's enough in the film's 148-minute running time for those who leave the cinema complex scratching their heads, to still enjoy themselves.
DiCaprio seems to be on a bit of a roll of late, following his strong performance in Shutter Island he is in top form, bringing a gritty intensity to his role as Cobb.
Although undoubtedly the centrepiece of Inception, DiCaprio is ably backed by classy showings from Ken Watanabe as Japanese businessman Saito, and film veterans Tom Berenger and Michael Caine.
Inception is directed and written by Christopher Nolan, who brought the film world 2000's Memento, before breathing life back into the Batman franchise.
Nolan is clearly not a man who does things halfway, nor is he fond of churning out disposable, 90-minute, popcorn-pulp marvels.
Nolan-helmed The Dark Knight in 2008 almost succeeded in that rarest of feats - being the darling of both the critics and the filmgoing public.
Inception is likely to succeed where that movie failed, and is a stunning example of film-making at its finest.
