This is a reprint of my review which was first published on Rotten Tomatoes about 2 years ago, with a couple of minor revisions. It appears here to mirror a series of reviews I had done for RT entitled 'From Burton to Nolan'.

Batman Begins (USA, 2005)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes

The words 'substance' and 'blockbuster' are rarely found in the same sentence. Nor indeed are the words 'auteur' and 'commercially reliable'. But Christopher Nolan is living, breathing proof that the two can come together and make astonishing work. Having won over mainstream audiences with Memento and Insomnia, Nolan uses his particular blend of non-linear storylines and visual hyper-realism to breathe new life into a long-dead franchise.With all the acclaim being accorded to The Dark Knight (most of which it deserves), it is easy to forget just how good or how strong Batman Begins is. It's not just good by Batman standards, or by prequel standards; it has its own, stand-alone identity, a headstrong independence which defies and ignores all that has gone before it. Gone are the Gothic spires of Tim Burton's Gotham City, or the day-glo camp of Joel Schumacher's costumes. This is a new whole new world, in all its meticulous and frightening glory.All of Nolan's films are stunning to behold, but Batman Begins takes his craft to new heights. He is famous for not using a second unit, allowing him to supervise and construct every shot just the way he wants it. This means there is no jarring difference between the film's dramatic scenes and the external effects designed to show us the city. Even in the most effects-heavy parts of the film, we never question who is behind the camera, guiding these scenes and determining their significance.Nolan has the same gift for visual verisimilitude as Ridley Scott, whose masterpiece Blade Runner was a major influence on the young filmmaker. Both directors are able to construct seamless, immersive worlds on screen which are simultaneously strange and familiar. They have a beauty which both comforts and surprises us, allowing the filmmaker to play with the clichés and always come up with something new. But while several of Scott's films are truly style over substance (Legend, Someone to Watch Over Me), Nolan has yet to make a film which forsakes narrative substance for the sake of visual splendour.What makes Batman Begins so rewarding, so gripping, and arguably so radical, is that there is a constant and unrelenting focus on the story. No matter how much we jump back and forth in time, or how many bad guys get hit, we never doubt that the movie is in control of itself and is yearning to move on to the next important piece of character development. The fact that we have to wait an hour before Christian Bale even dons the bat-suit is a clear sign that the filmmakers want to do this properly. They have avoided falling into the trap of either the original films, which often put the narrative on pause for a kid-friendly set-piece, or the Star Wars prequels, which waded through years of turgid back-story for a few minutes of vaguely dark action.Mark Kermode once described this film as "a little independent, weird, art movie, trapped within the body of a $140m blockbuster." And he wasn't far off. Batman Begins is much less a superhero film per se than it is a detailed philosophical examination of the nature of fear and morality in a chaotic world. Both our protagonists and his many enemies have fear and intimidation as their source of power -- the former by their bribes and weapons, the latter by stealth and an incorruptible desire to do good. But rather than keep it as a straight fight between good guys and baddies, the film questions the motivations of our hero on a frequent basis. The supporting cast, particularly his old flame, push him on his motivation for doing what he does, in the way he does, regardless of how little they actually know.This is a film in which the desire to do good can so easily be blurred into the desire for power; in which the lines between justice and vengeance are frequently re-drawn; and in which the triumph of good over evil is neither complete nor reassuring. In the film's closing scenes, Gary Oldman warns Batman that he is potentially doing more harm than good; this enemy may have been extinguished, but a darker menace lurks on the horizon which will be harder to defeat.At the centre of all this is the idea that to defeat evil, one must understand it and even adopt part of its methods if the ends justify the means. The League of Shadows, headed up by Ra's al Ghul, are a symbolic forewarning to Bruce Wayne of what he could become should he fully embrace his fear. Liam Neeson's character is a Nietzschean figure, who has channelled his desire for justice so purely that it has consumed all his remaining humanity. Bruce Wayne should if anything be more brutal, since he wishes to atone for the death of his parents. But when he is asked to slay the farmer, his humanity intervenes and he refuses. This pivotal scene confirms Wayne's incorruptible nature; he may become feared, but he will never let the fear become him.One criticism of this film from some quarters is that this new emphasis on darkness and philosophical soul-searching has taken all the fun out of the character. In fact one of the pleasant surprises about Batman Begins is the extent to which humour still resides. Not only do we get impressive popcorn-worthy action sequences, but we also have a script which grows more sarcastic and playful as all the battle lines are drawn. There aren't any laugh-out-loud moments, but that's not why the film exists.The film is inhabited by one of the best all-star casts outside a Robert Altman film. Christian Bale is brilliant as Batman, drawing on his great work in American Psycho to make Bruce Wayne totally three-dimensional. He plays Wayne with a tortured intensity which makes his pain all the more palpable. The supporting cast is completely solid, with the best performances coming from Cillian Murphy as the chillingly creepy Dr. Krane and Michael Caine as the affable father figure Alfred. Special mention should also go to Gary Oldman as Gordon and to Liam Neeson, who gives one of his best performances in years.The only real flaws with Batman Begins come when it attempts the widest possible appeal. The last twenty minutes, is completely over-the-top and rather cavalier on the part of the director. It's not so much a punch in the face as a flick on the nose; not especially painful, but you still feel annoyed that it happened. Moreover the opening scenes, before Bale reaches the monastery, are very jumpily edited so that only the most devoted will be pulled in.Nonetheless, Batman Begins is a really great film which does not deserve to be neglected in the wake of The Dark Knight's success. It is a stunning combination of style and substance which avoids all the pitfalls of its counterparts and predecessors. Together with The Dark Knight, it has become the gold standard against which all subsequent superhero films have been measured, and more often than not come up short. It may not be Nolan's best film - that remains Inception - but it is a fantastic demonstration of how art and money are not so easy to separate.

Rating:
Verdict: The best Batman film

This is a revised and rewritten version of my Inception review first published August 19th 2010. The original review can be found here: http://threemenonablog.blogspot.com/2010/08/film-review-inception-2010.html

Inception (USA, 2010)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy

Most of us have at least one film which we can watch over and over without necessarily getting anything new out of it. But there is a small number of truly magnificent films which keep rewarding us, intellectually and viscerally, even when there is no need for the gift to keep on giving. Inception is a worthy member of this club, sharing pride of place with A Clockwork Orange, Mulholland Drive and - dare I say it - Blade Runner. Every new viewing opens up new theories and interpretations, while confirming its status as the best film of 2010 and of Christopher Nolan's career.A lot has been written about the reputation of Inception as a 'smart blockbuster' which proves that audiences aren't stupid and lays down the gauntlet for the rest of the film industry. While all of this is completely true, it has been said so often that people have been led to doubt whether the film has anything of offer beyond what it represents: in other words, is it meant to be admired rather than enjoyed. Make no mistake: Inception is a smart blockbuster, but in order to appreciate it we have to look beyond its possible implications for the industry, at least for the moment.Inception is the culmination of Nolan's career, at least up to now. It shares a number of qualities with his previous efforts while having its own identity, like a series of jewels that have been waiting ten years for a crown. There is the deceptive chronology of Memento and The Prestige, used to make you question everything you have seen and distrust the editing over where stories begin and end. There is the nail-biting action of the Batman films, with real characters exploring ideas and experiencing pain in the midst of outstanding special effects. And there is the genre integrity of Following and Insomnia, creating in this case a film which follows heist film conventions without being in any way limited by them.All of these elements are woven together by Nolan's constant pursuit of verisimilitude, the art of finding reality and believability in the most fantastical of stories and concepts. Rather than go down the surrealistic route, filling the heist with scenes from Eraserhead or Un Chien Andalou, Nolan creates a hyper-stylised world which is so akin to our own that his artistic flourishes feel all the more surprising. His use of organic, physical effects wherever possible confirms his desire to keep us rooted in reality even as the world around us becomes extraordinary. The story introduces the mechanics of dreaming incrementally, so the film never grinds to a halt for plot exposition or loses its way by twisting too much at once.At its most superficial (if such a word is appropriate), Inception is about the nature of dreams and dreaming. In previous films which have explored dreaming, particularly as part of a thriller storyline, the boundary between dreams and reality has been all too obvious. Think, for instance, of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound, whose dream sequence directed by Salvador Dali is in stark contrast to the rest of the film.Inception corrects this, blurring the lines so seamlessly that we quickly understand the danger the characters are facing - both in failing their mission and in losing themselves to their own sub-consciences. During her training, Cobb warns Ariadne not to base a dream's architecture on real life, because that is the easiest way to lose your bearings and perhaps even end up like Mal. The feeling of getting lost is reflected in our experience as an audience: the film is constantly asking us to keep up, and there are only so many points where we can rely on totems or editing to tell us where we are. But as with Mulholland Drive, feeling lost is not only fun, it enhances the experience, making the dream-state all the more believable, threatening and fascinating.Like all great heist films, Inception is not really about the job itself. Nor, indeed, is it entirely or primarily about the nature of dreaming. The mechanics of dreaming, involving inception and extraction, heavy sedations and multiple dreams-within-dreams, are there to serve the plot by putting an enticing twist on the conventions of the heist film. But they also provide an introduction to a host of other interesting themes and ideas, each as enticing and multi-layered as the dreams in which they appear.One of Inception's biggest themes is identity, namely the ability in the dream world to be whoever you want, potentially forever. Like Mulholland Drive before it, it examines the idea of characters creating whole worlds or lives for themselves within a dream or fantasy. In this case the dreams can be designed and engineered to such a degree that reality becomes unnecessary: characters spend so long in dreams that reality seems like a pale imitation of the world which offers them everything they need.The one factor connecting all the members of Cobb's team is that their abilities and worth are enhanced by being in the dream. In reality, Eames is flippant, soft-headed and can't hold onto his money; in the dream he is brilliant, impersonating people and garnering information with ease. Arthur begins as a "stick in the mud" with no imagination, but in the dream he gains the imagination needed to bring the team home. Cobb is the exception to this rule: haunted by guilt, any potential enhancement in the dream in cancelled out or undermined by his troubled, unrestrained psyche.There is a counterpoint in the characters between Mal and Ariadne, played with superb skill by Marion Cotillard and Ellen Page. Both are to some extent experiments of Cobb: he trials inception on Mal, in a move which produces the impossible (inception) at the cost of creating the unbearable (her death). Ariadne represents Cobb trying to avoid his past mistakes, revisiting the impossible for the sake of catharsis. His relationship with Ariadne is sensitive because she sees through him, providing his salvation from the dream while giving him the chance to atone for Mal's death.When Darren Aronofsky made Requiem for a Dream, he commented that it was not so much a film about drugs as about addictive impulses - what constitutes or defines a drug, and therefore what makes a drug addict. So much of Inception is about addiction, with the characters being sedated to experience dreaming and their dreams being a pursuit of the high that is unlimited creativity.As with Aronofsky's work, Inception contrasts the limitless possibilities of the characters' fantasies with the threatened or actual destruction of their lives, minds and memories. Cobb was drawn to extraction by the ability to design whole new cities which could never exist, and when Ariadne runs away he remarks that "reality won't be enough for her anymore". But these optimistic sections are given perspective by the revelation that Cobb can no longer dream of his own accord. The chilling scene in the Mombasa basement hints at what he threatens to become if he does not restore his grip on reality and work for something more than the selfish high of extraction or inception.The performances in Inception are magnificent across the board. Leonardo DiCaprio has been working hard to cast off the pretty boy image of his early career, and in this case he manages it, turning in his most layered and accomplished performance to date. Cillian Murphy has an intriguing fractured quality to his performance which brings subtlety to his relationships with the other characters. And Tom Hardy is outstanding as Eames, providing much of the light relief as the world falls apart around him.Inception is a mesmerising masterpiece which improves with every viewing. Its mind-blowing, hyper-tense action sequences are perfectly complimented by its multi-layered examination of dreaming, addiction, catharsis and identity. It is visually superb thanks to Wally Pfister's outstanding cinematography, and Hans Zimmer's unusual score is nothing short of breathtaking. But at the centre of everything is Christopher Nolan, possibly Britain's greatest living director, who has delivered a film which is not only smart, but utterly flawless.

Rating:
Verdict: The best film of 2010

Insomnia (USA, 2002)
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hillary Swank

‘Conventional’ is not a word we have come to associate with Christopher Nolan. It seems almost insulting to use the term around someone whose unique blend of blockbuster action and head-scrambling substance has made him one of the most exciting directors working today. This is especially true in an age where blockbusters are increasingly formulaic in both script and execution.

But whatever his subsequent triumphs, there’s no getting away from the fact that Insomnia is Nolan’s most ‘conventional’ film, insofar as it conforms to many of the archetypes and plot strands we have come to associate with the crime thriller. Those who viewed Memento repeatedly to marvel at its precocious originality may leave Insomnia feeling underwhelmed. But don’t despair: there is enough of Nolan’s magic in Insomnia to keep the experience fulfilling.Look at it this way. If Memento was the left-field bolt from the blue which made the executives sit up and take notice, then Insomnia is the trial run to see whether Nolan could be trusted with bigger budgets. Giving him a foreign language film to remake is a very interesting choice, since American remakes of foreign films generally make more money than the originals while being inferior in quality. If Nolan could make a much-admired Norwegian film into an equally-admired American one, it would open up more possibilities (not least of which, the chance to do a Batman movie).

By relocating the story from Norway to Alaska, Insomnia has to take on certain characteristics of the classic American crime thrillers of recent years. Setting the story in a small fishing village in which very little happens hints back in some small way to Fargo: there is the same idea that “a lot can happen in the middle of nowhere”, albeit without the quirky wit of the Coens. There are also a whole series of cop films which focus on policeman feeling out of their depth – from John McClane in Die Hard to Agent Cooper in Twin Peaks, we’ve seen that story a hundred times before.Because these conventions are hardwired into the script, there is a limit on how much invention and inversion Nolan can attempt on screen. The opening forty minutes, up until the shooting in the woods, are impressively shot but feel very generic, with the characters delivering lines you could almost repeat in your sleep. But from thereon in, Nolan’s creative decisions begin to pay off, starting with his decision to use old-fashioned visual effects. The log cabin sets look like they have stood there for decades, and the use of real fog makes the experience more involving. Compare the chase scene in the woods to the chase scene in The Fog remake, and it’s not hard to see which approach works and which doesn’t.

Both the original and the remake invert one of the key conventions of film noir, namely the visual emphasis on darkness and shadow to create suspense, threat or a safe hiding place for the characters. Here, in a place where the sun shines twenty-three hours a day, there is nowhere to hide, either from people or from the secrets one carries. The film is as much about the crime as it is about how individuals start to come apart at the seams when their normal patterns (like sleep) are disrupted.
When the film begins, Will Dormer is a composed, confident detective. When he interviews Randy Stetz, he quickly curtails the young lad’s impudent remarks through quiet, considered statements. From an audience point of view, it is refreshing to see an Al Pacino performance in which he is not shouting his way through every line of the script. But as the days and nights roll on, he gradually becomes more desperate and irrational, until he no longer cares about the case. His dying words, “let me sleep”, are not just a fitting one-liner: they reflect a deep desire to forget his past, and all the dark secrets which have bubbled to the surface in these extreme circumstances.

The film to which Insomnia owes the greatest debt, in the best possible way, is The Silence of the Lambs. At the centre of both stories is the ambiguous relationship between ‘good’ and ‘evil’, in which neither is pure or easily defined. Both Will Dormer and Walter Finch (a good performance by Robin Williams) are individuals who have good intentions, both towards the murdered girl and their respective jobs. But they are also both capable of evil feats which may or may not be intentional; when asked if he intended to kill his partner, Dormer replies that he isn’t sure anymore.The scene where Dormer and Finch meet on the ferry is an interesting restaging of the first meeting between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lector. The relationship between these characters is much more complex than that of a cop chasing a murderer. Dormer is torn between a desire to kill Finch for what he did and the need to cover his tracks after his ‘accident’ in the woods. It is stretching a point to say that these characters become platonically involved, and Finch is nothing like as psychotic as Lector. But there is a definite echo of such a relationship in these characters, which becomes more marked as the different twists play out.

For the other characters in the film, it is a case of coming to terms with reality rather than with themselves. Conscience still plays a role, but in the case of Hillary Swank’s young rookie Ellie Burr, it is more to do with adjusting her idealised view of Dormer. Starting out as a Nancy Drew goody-two-shoes, she comes to distrust Dormer’s versions of events – her dilemma is not a moral one, but one of reputations. In the final scene she is about to throw away the bullet which would incriminate Dormer and prove he was lying about his partner – she doesn’t care about the truth, only about preserving her admiration for him. Dormer rightly stops her, affirming his goodness but at the cost of destroying her idol.Like most Christopher Nolan films, there is plenty of action-packed spectacle to balance out the soul-searching and entertain those who aren’t interested quite so much in character development. The chase scenes through the woods and over the logjam are energetically shot with a good score from David Julyan, and the camerawork is very solid. The final showdown between Dormer and Finch does feel like a half-baked Mexican standoff, but the ending scene with Dormer and Burr just about makes up for it.
Insomnia is an interesting and successful remake which plays with Hollywood conventions and makes an admirable result out of slightly worn ingredients. Had the result not been quite so satisfying, Batman Begins would probably not have happened. In the long run, this film may become seen as a lesser work, in the line of Alfred Hitchcock’s Murder! or Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing – something which pushed the envelope just a little, to get the money for another film which could push it further. If nothing else, it is proof that Hollywood remakes of foreign films need not be dumb and derivative. One hopes that David Fincher will bear this in mind when he remakes The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Rating: 4/5
Verdict: A gripping if generic thriller