When you are fast asleep and in a dream state..a person intrudes...starts sharing the dream...and in the process gains access to your thoughts & ideas. Now, what if this person is a complete stranger, a thief, an exceptionally skilled one at that, who with the help of an ally (who can forge his identity and appearance within your dream!!), makes use of the dream space at its most vulnerable moment and ends up phishing an idea you have built over years!
Sounds scary? To some, it might even sound a little foolish as a concept. This is the very premise of Christopher Nolan's "Inception" starring Leonardo Di Caprio. The aforementioned concept, is termed as "Extraction" in the film. So, then what is "Inception"? It is to use the same dream state to intrude someone's mind and plant an idea! Confusing? This was precisely what I felt like when the movie started rolling. Initially it also sounded like folderol (no.. its not a medicine..means 'foolishness'! learnt this word this week..have to use it somewhere right!) to me.
But, it is to Christopher Nolan's credit that he makes you believe in such a thought with his astonishing writing, leaving you bewildered by the time the end credits roll.
Nolan's exceptional writing/narrating skills, as most of you would know, came to the fore in the Guy Pearce starer "Memento" (its a different story that it took me 3-4 viewings to get a grasp of things..) . I have also had the fortune to watch his other acclaimed works in "The Following", "The Prestige" and "Insomnia" (Yeah..I am yet to watch is 2 batman films!). Incidentally, the voyeuristic thief in "The Following" was also called "Cobb", which is also the name of the protagonist played by Di Caprio in "Inception".
Its a maze that you will keep unraveling long after you are finished with the film. For most part, to be honest, I found it difficult to keep pace with the narration and be on the same page with the characters. For this very reason, "Inception" is a must watch, as it challenges the movie buff in you (unlike most films that ask you to leave your brain behind) and takes the movie watching experience up several notches.
Leonardo Di Caprio carries the film on his shoulders, being the only familiar "star" in the film and is first rate. The rest of the cast fit in quite effectively. Use of CG is good and blends in well. Hans Zimmer's score is brilliant in keeping with the mood and pace of the movie.
My Verdict: Go figure out this puzzle! Its a big thumbs-up from my side for this master-stroke in story telling and screen writing. Nolan seems to have set his claims on some coveted prizes for writing, yet again. Hope he gets lucky atleast this time around.
