Inception (2010)

A skilled extractor is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible.

Director:

Christopher Nolan

Writer:

Christopher Nolan

Stars:

Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page

Top 250 #14 | Won 4 Oscars. Another 82 wins & 109 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leonardo DiCaprio	...	Cobb
Joseph Gordon-Levitt	...	Arthur
Ellen Page	...	Ariadne
Tom Hardy	...	Eames
Ken Watanabe	...	Saito
Dileep Rao	...	Yusuf
Cillian Murphy	...	Robert Fischer
Tom Berenger	...	Browning
Marion Cotillard	...	Mal
Pete Postlethwaite	...	Maurice Fischer
Michael Caine	...	Miles
Lukas Haas	...	Nash
Tai-Li Lee	...	Tadashi
Claire Geare	...	Phillipa (3 years)
Magnus Nolan	...	James (20 months)

Storyline

Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

---

Plot Keywords:

dream | children | subconscious | corporate espionage | fugitive | 

---

Taglines:

The dream is real.

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Warner Bros. [de]

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Japanese French

Release Date:

16 July 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Inception: The IMAX Experience

Filming Locations:

1240 S Hope St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$160,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£5,912,814 (UK) (16 July 2010)

Gross:

$292,568,851 (USA) (31 December 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures, Syncopy

Technical Specs

Runtime:

148 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The slow, gloomy, blaring trombones in the main theme of the film score are actually based on an extremely slowed down version of the fast, high pitched trumpets in the beginning of the Édith Piaf song "Non, je ne regrette rien," which is used as a plot device in the film. Furthermore, when music is heard by someone who is currently within a dream, the music is perceived as slowed down. Thus, the main theme of the film score is almost exactly what the beginning of "Non, je ne regrette rien" would sound like to a dreamer. This thematic device is brought to its logical conclusion when the song plays at the end of the credits, signaling that the audience is about to 'wake up' from the film.

---

Goofs

When Arthur puts the cab in reverse and rams a bodyguard/projection, the gun flies out of the victim's hand and falls a few feet away. In the next shot, the gun is next to the dead body.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Saito's Attendant: He was delirious but asked for you by name. Show him...
Japanese Security Guard: He was carrying nothing but this...
[gun]
Japanese Security Guard: And this...
[spinning top]
Saito: Are you here to kill me?

---

Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits Edith Piaf's "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" plays at normal speed, then slows down to the speed it was at the beginning of the film during Hans Zimmer's score and throughout the movie. Then we see the title stop in the center of the screen as the song ends.

---

Connections

Referenced in 30 Rock: Double-Edged Sword (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Aboun Salehoun"
Written by Youssef El Mejjad and Pat Jabbar
Performed by Amira Saqati
Courtesy of Barraka el Farnatshi Productions

User Reviews

The perfect summer blockbuster?

What do we ask for in a summer blockbuster? What is it that incites hysteria this time every year for whatever dross the studios churn out? Epic hugeness? Blowing stuff up? Romance? Action? Heroes? What are we looking for in a blockbuster? I think it all boils down to thrills! Audiences want the thrill of a car chase, the thrill of romance, the thrill of the spectacular! If that is the case, then Inception just might be the greatest summer blockbuster of all time as it also contains something we often don't look for...brains! "What is the most resilient parasite? An idea" says Leonardo Di Caprio's character Cobb. Well, Inception is all about ideas. It's all right there in the title. The film central idea revolves around "Extractors", who are paid to extract secrets from people's subconscious minds by sneaking into their dreams, usually for the purpose of corporate espionage. However, when one client asks them to plant an idea in the mind of their corporate rival, "Inception" is born. The less said about this film the better. It is full of ideas and invention and for each set piece I divulge, a piece of the film's genius is weakened. This is a film that cleverly and intricately brings the audience through several planes of existence simultaneously but never allows the viewer to feel lost. Such is the power of Christopher Nolan's script which, I imagine, is likely to get overlooked due to the sheer visual magnificence of his direction. But everything that makes this film so great is in the script...in the ideas! Everything else is just spectacle. This film bears an uncanny resemblance, thematically, with DiCaprio's other instant classic this year, Shutter Island. Both films investigate in depth the tricks a traumatised mind can play on the individual. Both films are luscious to watch and both films keep the audience firmly outside the realm of reality. However, Inception is an even more layered film than Shutter Island and I believe the sci-fi genre setting will prove to be less alienating for audiences than the prison noir of Scorsese's film. There is not a single dull moment in Nolan's film. There is style, charm and intelligence in every frame of the film. Every performance is pitch-perfect with some strong support by Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt particularly who have grown up right before our eyes into undeniable movie stars. Leonardo DiCaprio gives a typically flawless performance as the muddled, grieving man who we never quite trust to be living in the real world. The best part of Inception is the large amount of effects which were done in camera. While the film does make use of CGI, there are some pretty mind-blowing practical effects which are as simple as the camera telling beautiful lies; a rare treat these days. This is a blockbuster that ticks all the boxes; smart, sexy (femme fatale, sexy brainy girl, very beautiful men in very beautiful suits) and magical. Inception is the kind of film that reminds me why cinema will never die. Because anyone who thinks it's OK to watch this film on a laptop or iPad is a fool! This is pure cinema, and proud of it. Not to be missed on the big screen!