Inception

Movie name: Inception
Year of release: 2010
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Dileep Rao, Tom Berenger, Michael Caine, Pete Postlethwaite, Lukas Haas
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 9

Synopsis:Christopher Nolan is a director that oscillates. Between directing massive films (budget-wise) such as "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight", he directs smaller projects, namely "The Prestige" (without forgetting the film that really made him well known, "Memento"). "Inception" follows the story of Dom Cobb, a man that specializes in entering people's dreams and stealing ideas and valuable secrets. In this world of high espionage, Cobb is a master in what he does, but also a target. When Cobb is offered a risky assignment, to plant an idea in someones subconscious, in exchange for having his life back to a sense of normalcy, he and his team must undertake one of the most challenging jobs they ever took.
"Inception" is quite possibly one of Christopher Nolan's best films thus far. The film presents itself as a Russian doll - each layer that peels off, reveals another and another. It's a film that has a difficult concept and that presents a challenge: how to represent the dreamworld and it's potential. Alfred Hitchcock and Salvador Dali collaborated in the film "Spellbound" (beautifully) to represent the dream world, but Christopher Nolan chooses to create a dreamworld that is anchored in reality, since that's what his (anti) hero does - he uses his skills to make an illusion of reality/dream and steals what he needs. The film has an action/thriller/suspense line, that keeps building as the team gets wrapped up in it's impossible quest, but the artistry with which Christopher Nolan weaves these whole elements together, proves what a great director he has become. The cast is uniformly wonderful, but the highlight and praises go to Leonardo DiCaprio. Once again he proves what a fantastic actor he can be: his Dom Cobb is paralyzed by guilt and suffering, but he propels himself forward, trying to bring back ghosts and ultimately his life. Ellen Page does a great job as the precocious student as does Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy. A fantastic film worth watching and re-watching.