Inception (2010)
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A professional thief who steals information through dreams is offered a chance to have his criminal history erased in exchange for planting an idea into a target's subconscious.
The story
Dom Cobb and Arthur are professional thieves who perform corporate espionage using experimental dream-sharing technology to infiltrate their targets' subconscious and extract information. Their latest target, Saito, is impressed with Cobb's ability to layer multiple dreams within each other. He offers to hire Cobb for the seemingly impossible job of performing "inception": implanting Robert Fischer, the son of Saito's competitor, with the idea to dissolve his father's conglomerate. In return, Saito promises to clear Cobb's criminal status, allowing him to return home to his children. Cobb accepts the offer and recruits a team of specialists to navigate a complex, multi-layered dream structure to plant the idea.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Dom Cobb and Arthur are professional thieves who use dream-sharing technology to extract information. Saito hires Cobb to perform 'inception' on Robert Fischer, the heir to a massive conglomerate, to convince him to dissolve his father's company. To do this, Cobb and his team—Eames, Yusuf, and Ariadne—construct a three-level dream structure. As they descend, they face various obstacles, including Robert's subconscious defenses and the haunting projection of Cobb's late wife, Mal. The team must navigate a raining city, a hotel, and an alpine fortress, while managing time dilation and the risk of falling into 'Limbo'—a state of un-awakened consciousness. During the mission, Mal's intervention leads to several team members being lost in Limbo. Cobb must ultimately confront his guilt regarding Mal's death to ensure the inception succeeds. In the final moments, the team successfully implants the idea in Robert. The film ends with a spinning top, leaving the audience to wonder if Cobb has returned to reality or remains trapped in a dream.
- First release year
- 2010
- Runtime (minutes)
- 148
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Christopher Nolan
- Writers
- Christopher Nolan · writer
- Cast and characters
- Leonardo DiCaprio · Dom Cobb; Ken Watanabe · Saito; Joseph Gordon-Levitt · Arthur; Marion Cotillard · Mal; Elliot Page · Ariadne; Tom Hardy · Eames; Cillian Murphy · Robert Fischer; Tom Berenger · Peter Browning; Michael Caine · Stephen Miles; Dileep Rao · Yusuf
- Genres
- science fiction; heist; action
- Themes
- Reality and dreams; Memory; Guilt
- Tone and mood
- Atmospheric; Intense
- Premise and plot tags
- Dream-sharing; Heist; Corporate Espionage
- Reception
- The film was highly acclaimed by critics and audiences alike, being described as a 'masterpiece' and a 'conceptual tour de force'. It was widely praised for its innovative narrative and visual scale.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 87% · scale: percentage · review count: 363; Metacritic · score: 74 · scale: 100 · review count: 42; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Cinematography · Win; Academy Award · Best Sound Editing · Win; Academy Award · Best Sound Mixing · Win; Academy Award · Best Visual Effects · Win; Academy Award · Best Picture · Nomination; Academy Award · Best Original Screenplay · Nomination; Academy Award · Best Art Direction · Nomination; Academy Award · Best Original Score · Nomination; British Academy Film Award · Best Production Design · Win; British Academy Film Award · Best Special Visual Effects · Win; British Academy Film Award · Best Sound · Win
- Production trivia
- The film's title is linked to the concept of 'dream within a dream'.; The film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2025.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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