‘Inception’ a hit that will make you re-think your dreams
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette
I’m not a huge fan of Leonardo DiCaprio, though I have enjoyed many of his performances (including his portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator and of a wet-behind-the-ears gunslinger in The Quick and The Dead), but he’s proven his mettle more often than not. Supported by an excellent cast, DiCaprio leads the action in “Inception,” a fast-paced film that focuses on infiltrating the human mind — a film that is likely to be one of the year’s best action films.
DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, a thief who is part of a skilled team that can infiltrate people’s minds while they are dreaming. The dreams become vehicles for the team to assault the victim’s memory, and to get the victim to reveal the desired information.
After the team mucks up an exercise they are conducting for a client, they split up — only to have Cobb and his sidekick, played by Jospeh Gordon-Levitt, forcibly detained by the client, and recruited to do another task: Infiltrate the mind of the heir of a large corporation and plant an idea in his subconscious.
It’s an idea that those involved in these dream infiltrations believe is impossible; Cobb knows that’s not true, he’s done it.
Cobb recruits the best and brightest minds to assist in this project. The team works its way onto a non-stop flight across the Pacific, sedates the victim and enters his dreams with a single goal — to plant the idea for him to break up his father’s corporation.
The team travels through various levels of the sub-conscious mind, where the laws of physics don’t necessarily apply. To be successful, the team must plant the idea and leave the man’s dreams without him realizing he was infiltrated.
The sequences that take place will leave you clutching the armrests of your seat; the complexity of the plot can be overwhelming as you try to keep track of which dream level the team is in.
DiCaprio is haunted by mental images of his kids and especially his wife, who committed suicide after the couple did some dream infiltration on their own which left her unable to tell dreams from reality. Cobb is wanted for his wife’s death, and is unable to return home to be with his children. Cobb’s desire to be with his children is the fuel that fires his passion and drive to complete this mission; if he does, his employer will “fix” the murder charges pending against him.
Director Christopher Cobb successfully weaves layers upon layers of suspense, drama and a love story with “Inception.” The 2:28 runtime sounded long to me, but moviegoers got was a fast-moving, dramatic story that takes more twists and turns than a James Bond film.
“Inception,” PG-13 ****1/2 (4-1/2 stars)
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