TENET : Tuesday 1st September 2020.

'TENET' which I saw this week is an M Rated much hyped eagerly awaited spy drama film Directed, Written and Co-Produced by Christopher Nolan, who I'm sure needs no further introduction, other than his film Directing credits have amassed global Box Office returns of about US$4.7B and he has won 137 awards and been nominated 228 other times, so I guess he must be doing something right! Originally slated for a 17th July release, this was subsequently pushed back because of COVID-19 to 31st July, then 12th August and saw its release in seventy countries from last week, before its release in the US and China this week. Costing somewhere in the region of US$220M to make, the film has garnered mostly favourable Reviews from Critics, and has so far recouped US$54M. Riffing off James Bond with exotic locations, extravagant action set pieces, international espionage, a Russian bad guy hell bent on bringing about the end of the world as we know it, and the good guys working for a covert secret outfit this is sure to please . . . if you can get your head around the premise.

The film opens up with all guns blazing setting the scene for the action set pieces to follow. A CIA Agent takes part in an undercover SWAT mission at the Kyiv National Opera in the Ukraine, where he rescues an exposed spy and recovers a strange artefact, but not before members of the performing orchestra are shot and killed and the entire audience is put to sleep with gas. Another masked soldier with a red tag on his back pack rescues the Agent from being shot, but at this point it remains unclear as to their identities. The Agent (John David Washington) comes around tied to a chair on a railway line with a colleague also bound, with a bunch of nasty looking henchmen counting down the time until a train comes hurtling down the tracks to kill them both.

The Agent swallows a cyanide capsule, bur he later wakes to be told that the capsule was fake, his colleagues are all dead, and congratulations, he passed the test - no others before him have got that far. The Agent's superior, Victor (Martin Donovan) tells him that one word 'Tenet' will open doors for him, but to be wary because other doors will be slammed in his face with potentially life threatening consequences, and he is to use several markers to begin his journey.

His journey eventually leads him to Laura (Clemence Poesy), a scientist studying bullets and other retrieved artefacts whose make up has been 'inverted' so that they move backwards through time, demonstrated when the Agent catches the bullet in the chamber of the gun, rather than discharging it. Studying the make up of the bullets, the Agent traces the bullets to Priya (Dimple Kapadia), an arms trafficker living in Mumbai, and also affiliated to Tenet.

Now simply going by the handle of the Protagonist, The Agent is supported by a local named Neil (Robert Pattinson) and they both successfully infiltrate Priya's heavily guarded high rise home, by reverse bungee jumping up the tower, and learn that the bullets are supplied by Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) a Russian Oligarch who is able to communicate with the future. The Protagonist meets with Sator's estranged wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), an art auctioneer. He learns that Sator is blackmailing her over a forged Goya painting that she sold him for US$10M, but he discovered her ruse and threatened to hand her over to the authorities if she doesn't comply with his wishes, and at the same time keeping her at arms length from her beloved young son. Kat comments that the last time the couple were truly happy together was on board his super yacht in Vietnam, from which she saw a mystery woman dive when she was leaving on a motor tender with her son.

The Protagonist and Neil work with fixer Mahir (Himesh Patel) to steal the fake Goya painting from the Freeport storage facility (a tax free haven used by investors to secretly store their art works that is heavily fortified, securely guarded and tightly controlled) at Oslo Airport, by crashing a cargo jet into the adjoining hangar as a diversion. By doing so Sator would no longer have a hold over Kat, and she would effectively be free. Inside the facility, they locate a machine from which two masked men emerge, one of which is inverted. After unmasking the normal one, Neil stops the Protagonist from killing the inverted one. Priya later explains that the machine was a 'Turnstile', a time inversion device developed in the future, and that the two masked men were in fact the same person.

The Protagonist subsequently tells Kat that the painting was destroyed in the resultant fire at the Freeport, and she arranges a meeting with Sator who reveals that he had the painting moved before the crash. Sator by now is on to the Protagonist and has him captured, and threatens to kill him. However, the Protagonist mentions the events at the Ukranian Opera, at which Sator has a change of heart - for now. Kat attempts to drown Sator during a boat race but the Protagonist jumps in and saves him. Sator now feels indebted to the Protagonist and so the Protagonist offers to steal a case of plutonium that Sator desires in exchange for Kat's freedom.

The Protagonist and Neil steal the plutonium in an intricately planned and executed highway heist from an armoured convoy in Estonia, but realise upon opening the carry case that it is in fact another artefact. An inverted Sator captures both the Protagonist and Kat, and shoots her with an inverted bullet, forcing him to reveal where the artefact is. A team of Tenet operatives led by Ives (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) frees the Protagonist forcing Sator to flee. To save Kat's life (for being shot by an inverted bullet is far more deadly that being shot by a conventional bullet), the Protagonist and Neil take her through Sator's Turnstile. They travel back to the Oslo Freeport crash the previous week to un-invert themselves inside the Turnstile there. As they re-infiltrate the airport, the inverted Protagonist fights his non-inverted self, before reaching the Turnstile and un-inverting himself.

Travelling back to Mumbai, Priya explains the artefacts (of which there are nine in total) are parts of a future-developed 'Algorithm' capable of catastrophically inverting the entire world, and that future humans are using Sator to activate it in order to prevent the effects of global warming. Kat advises that Sator is dying from inoperable pancreatic cancer. They conclude that he aims to trigger the Algorithm through suicide and through a dead man's switch, believing the world should die when he does. Kat has suspicions that Sator will choose to die on that day on his yacht in Vietnam when they were last at their happiest together.

Kat inverts back in time to delay Sator's death, while Tenet tracks the assembled Algorithm to an abandoned Soviet closed city and commences a 'temporal pincer movement', meaning that half of their troops move forward in time to the blast zone (the red team led by the Protagonist and Ives), while the other half moves backwards (the blue team led by Neil and Wheeler (Fiona Dourif)). The Protagonist and Ives are prevented from reaching the Algorithm stored underground by a locked gate, until an inverted masked corpse with a red tag on its rucksack springs to life, saving the Protagonist from a gunshot and unlocking the gate. The pair fight with a henchmen, who is intent on sending the assembled component parts of the Algorithm into a chasm below and detonating it, but is prevented from doing so with a bullet to the head. Neil driving an armed vehicle above ground drops a line down into the hole in the ground directly above where the pair are located. Clinging on the assembled Algorithm device they are winched up by Neil, just as the ground below them explodes. 

Meanwhile Kat has lured Sator into a false sense of well being and security on board his yacht in Vietnam. She shoots Sator in the chest and then drops him off the side of the yacht from an upper deck as he tumbles end over end crashing against the side of the boat before landing face down in the sea. Kat then dives from the yacht's deck, where she is witnessed by her past self. Kat calls the Protagonist to let him know that she shot and killed her husband prematurely, hoping that they rescued the Algorithm in time, to which he responds with a yes. The Protagonist, Neil and Ives break up the Algorithm's component into three equal sections each vowing to store them away secretly and without the knowledge of anyone else. The Protagonist notices a familiar red tag on Neil's rucksack, and asks him how he came to be recruited by Tenet. Neil reveals that a future version of the Protagonist recruited him to Tenet years earlier, and this mission is the end of a long friendship that the Protagonist has yet to experience. Neil and Ives depart in a helicopter, leaving the Protagonist on the ground.

Sometime later, and in London, Priya attempts to kill Kat while she is picking her son up from school, but is killed by the Protagonist in the passenger seat of the car where she sat.

I liked 'Tenet' a lot, and this is one film that you need to watch on the big cinema screen where you can immerse yourself in the never before seen stunning visuals, the action set pieces, the surround sound while trying to get your head around the meaning of the inversion of time, that is the core of this films premise. Here Christopher Nolan, who allegedly spent the past two decades or so mulling over the story and his Screenplay, has crafted perhaps his most ambitiously bold and audacious film yet; the lead characters all do a fine job with particular nods to John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh in perhaps his most evil and villainous role yet. The physics of inversion aren't fully explained and as Clemence Poesy's character Laura explains 'don't try to understand it, feel it', you'll leave the cinema having been wowed by the sheer size and spectacle this film offers up, but scratching your head trying to grapple with the science behind it. This epic film is supposedly going to re-establish the movie going experience in a Post-COVID world, and in this respect Nolan has delivered a wildly entertaining thrill ride of a movie that deserves all the success it can muster, and repeat viewings to understand it.

'TENET' meets four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

NOW YOU SEE ME - THE SECOND ACT : Wednesday 8th June 2016.

'NOW YOU SEE ME : THE SECOND ACT' is the follow up to 2013's first instalment in this magic heist adventure offering that was Directed by Louis Leterrier, comprised an all star cast, and despite its largely mixed critical reviews it made US$352M from its US$75M production budget and was therefore hailed a commercial success at least. Three short years later, and as if by magic we have a sequel up our sleeve, this time Directed by Jon M. Chu with much of that original line up reprising their roles. This film had a bigger budget than the first at US$90M and was released in Australia largely ahead of the rest of the world with its Stateside release on 10th June and the rest of the world thereafter. As long ago as a year, Lionsgate Films announced that 'Now You See Me 3' was already in the planning stages, so its very much looks like our intrepid, daring 'Four Horsemen' will survive to ride another day, and perform more sleight of hand for your disbelieving pleasure with plenty more tricks up their sleeves.

Essentially one year on from cleverly outwitting the FBI with a grand illusion to end all grand illusions whilst winning over the confidence, respect, support and adulation of the general public, 'The Four Horsemen' (no, not those from 'X-Men : Apocalypse') - Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) and new girl on the block replacing Isla Fisher, Lula (Lizzy Caplan) reappear for an encore performance in the hopes of exposing the unethical dealings of a tech magnate who is about to launch a new smart phone on the world that will gobble up all your personal and private data and use it for seemingly unscrupulous means to become all controlling. Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) meanwhile leads The Four Horsemen covertly whilst 'working' for the FBI in supposedly tracking down The Four Horsemen, but along the way sending those authority figures on a merry hunt half way around the world to maintain their cover, their disappearing act for over a year now, and allowing them to go about their business largely unhindered.

Assembled, and with another grand illusion at the ready, The Four Horsemen prepare to make their mark on a Conference/Exhibition Hall where this latest smart phone is to be revealed on an unsuspecting world. When things go awry and Rhodes plan is scuppered by the FBI, the illusionists need to make a quick exit stage left. In doing so, they escape via a roof top and slide down a construction shute that is meant to exit them in an awaiting truck several stories below . . . but instead they emerge in a Chinese looking kitchen with surprised Chefs rattling the pans all around them. They walk out of the kitchen dazed and confused into a bustling restaurant and quickly learn that they are in downtown Macau - WTF just happened they exclaim looking totally bewildered.

As they quickly gather their thoughts, they are welcomed by Chase McKinney (Woody Harrelson) - the estranged twin brother of Merritt, and who has a serious axe to grind against his brother, and vice versa. Suffice to say there is no love lost between them. The four get loaded up into an obligatory black 4WD and taken off across town to meet devious tech wizard Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe). Meanwhile Rhodes is back on the other side of the world wondering where the hell his Four Horsemen are, and their phones are unresponsive.

Mabry announces that he engineered their 'abduction' to Macau and explains how he preformed that trick, and reveals that in exchange for their freedom from his clutches and those of the FBI, he requires them to steal a micro-chip embedded in a playing card sized sliver of plastic. The chip has the ability to hack into any computer in the world, decrypt any code, break any password and reveal the most secret, sensitive information to the holder of said chip. Of the four, only Atlas agrees and so the others are forced to go along with the plan, and have 24 hours to do so. They swing into action visiting the worlds oldest magic store which just happens to be there is Macau, for some essential supplies with which to pull off this daring heist from a heavily guarded technical fortress.

Meanwhile back on American soil, Rhodes receives a phone call from Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) who is locked up in a prison cell, having been put there by Rhodes himself as a result of his antics in the first film. With Rhodes now being chased down by the FBI who have worked out his cunning agenda, he reluctantly reaches out to Bradley who claims he knows the whereabouts of The Four Horsemen, and will reveal their location in exchange for a 24 hour leave pass. Bradley and Rhodes arrive in Macau after the Four Horsemen have deftly and with remarkable sleight of hand acquired the microchip, with Atlas waiting in a downtown market to hand over the merchandise to Mabry and his henchmen. At that point Atlas is intercepted by Rhodes, and a fight breaks out as Atlas gets away with the chip leaving Rhodes to fend off the others after Mabry reveals his intentions towards them were hardly genuine.

When the dust settles Rhodes and The Four Horsemen reunite to ponder their next move. Aided by the magic shop owner and her son, they devise a cunning plan to beat Mabry at his own game - in London on New Years Eve where they will stage their greatest illusion yet, and they let the world know of their imminent arrival. In the meantime, we have learnt that Mabry is the illegitimate son of Arthur Tressler (who The Four Horsemen tricked out of millions of dollars in the first film), and so he has his own agenda to rid the world of Rhodes and his four magicians, and has Bradley on side too.

As the action moves to London on NYE The Four Horsemen assemble at various points across the city and each gather a crowd of expectant on lookers ready to see their magical mastery up close & personal. Behind the scenes the FBI has gathered ready to nab Rhodes and The Four Horsemen when they appear. Mabry & Tressler have also touched down still hunting the chip, and so they too are in hot pursuit. What follows is a cat and mouse game across a busy London on NYE as the FBI close in but as usual are one step behind the bad guys who have captured Rhodes, Atlas, McKinney, Lula and Wilder and intend to make off with them by private jet and dispose of them once the chip is in their safe hands. But of course, the gang of grand illusionists have a few tricks up their sleeve which ensures the downfall of Mabry, Tressler and Chase in front of a worldwide audience.

In the final analysis, Rhodes, Atlas, McKinney, Wilder and Lula convene in Greenwich when the dust has settled and the FBI are off their scent. There Rhodes meets with Bradley who reveals his true identity as a close friend and business partner to Rhodes' father, Lionel Shrike (Richard Laing) who died when the young Dylan was just eight years of age performing an illusion that went horribly wrong. Also revealed are three other members of 'The Eye' who we were introduced to earlier in the film, as Bradley bids his farewells from his office headquarters.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this film. It moves along at a cracking pace and the cast are strong enough both individually and as an ensemble to complete this magic circle and make it greater than the sum of its parts. The illusions and the magic are well orchestrated if somewhat stretched in their plausibility, but then hey, this is a film about master illusionists writ large and their ability to perform feats of magic on a grand scale, so you'll need to suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride. The one flaw in this tale for me is the ability for the gang to perform their illusions on such a grand scale so quickly using very limited time and resources and pull everything off so successfully. There's no months, not even weeks, of pre-planning, preparations, rehearsals, assembling a crew, fine tuning, checking and double checking that everything works and is at it should be . . . but then I guess this is the magic of Hollywood, and why let practical details get in the way of a good story. It is worth the price of your ticket, it delivers exactly what you would expect from the first film, and as sequels go, it ain't bad!

 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

What's new in Odeon's this week : Saturday 26th December 2015.

It is that time of year again when the big jolly guy with the white beard, the big red coat, and the big sleigh comes knocking on your door to wish you all the best for Christmas and compliments of the Festive Season. Hoping that he brings you a swag of movie goodness in your Christmas stocking this year, all I can say to my global audience at Odeon Online is thanks very much for your support and readership over the past twelve month, all the very best to you and yours for a very Happy, Safe and Relaxing Christmas, and I very much look forward to sharing more of the same movie news, Reviews and Previews with you in the year ahead.

In the meantime and for the coming week there is another haul of new movie content to keep us entertained when you are stuffed full of turkey and Christmas Pudding and think there is no end in sight to over eating, over drinking and over doing. Fear not, you can take solace in a movie theatre and catch a couple of autobiographical movies featuring some big name casts guided thoughtfully by a couple of big name Directors; then an English history lesson dating back a hundred or so years with some names of historical repute and a big subject that did much to change the course of history; then a couple of old guys letching it up with the young girls in a mountain resort and remembering what might have been; and a French coming of age story that examines the choices we make and the consequences of those, on those closest to us. After this, we have dad & step-dad battling it out for supremacy in the family unit; and then two animated features to close out holiday week that are likely to please the young and the young at heart.

With such compelling choices in the week ahead, as well as more to choose from already on general release, there is little excuse to get out amongst it at your local Odeon. When you have done so, drop us a line and share your thoughts and observations here in a Comments Box below this or any other Post. Meanwhile, enjoy your film.

JOY (Rated M) - Hot off the closing film in 'The Hunger Games' series, Jennifer Lawrence is here teaming up once more with Writer/Director and Producer David O'Russell in this latest biographical comedy drama offering about the life and times of Long Island single mother of three, struggling would be business woman and inventor of the Miracle Mop Joy Mangano (played by Lawrence). The story traces the life of the divorcee across four generations as she builds her business empire off the back of the Miracle Mop and is confronted with the challenges of life and bringing up three youngsters on her own, her family, her expanding business, those she can trust, those who betray her, those she loves and those she leaves.

An emotional roller coaster of a film Joy grows through the years from her inner strength, her strong will and determination, her imagination and her sense of loyalty, family and love to equip her with the the challenges that will confront her. Also starring familiar stable mate Bradley Cooper, as the Executive at The Home Shopping Network who gives her new invention an airtime boost, Robert De Niro as Joy's father, Edgar Ramirez as Joy's ex-husband, Virginia Madsen as Joy's mother, Diane Ladd as Joy's grandmother, and Isabella Rossellini as Joy's backer and Joy's fathers girlfriend. On the strength of previous collaboration and what we know Lawrence, Cooper and O'Russell are capable off - this has to be up there as one to watch this holiday season.

SUFFRAGETTE (Rated M) - This is a British period piece Directed by Sharon Gavron, that any self respecting school kid studying English Modern History will know all about - this Reviewer included! Set in the very early 20th Century it tells the story of The Suffragette Movement for Women's Suffrage and their fight to win the right to vote and share an equal footing with men, for the first time in the history of the nation. It is a story that changed the course of British History and centres around two real life characters - Emmeline Pankhurst (played by Meryl Streep) who led the Suffragette Movement and rallied women to stand up for their rights and Emily Davison (Natlaie Press) who so believed in her cause that in protest she threw herself under the horse of King George V at the Epsom Derby and died of her wounds. The film also stars Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson and Samuel West as fictional characters, although the film is based on fact and traces the years of political struggle, violent protest, personal sacrifice and emotional turmoil suffered by women before the British Government gave way and recognised women's rights in 1928.

YOUTH (Rated MA15+) - Starring Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel, this is an Italian production Written and Directed by Paolo Sorrentino in his second only English language film. Caine plays Fred Ballinger and best mate to Keitel's Mick Boyle who are ageing seventy somethings holidaying in a plush resort in the Swiss Alps and recounting their lives. Fred is an accomplished albeit now retired composer of classical music and Mick is a film maker working with a bunch writers to develop his next screen play. Fred's daughter in turn is married to Mick's son and while reflecting on their lives things go pear shaped as Fred is approached to perform for HRH The Queen & Prince Philip, Mick completes his screenplay but his long standing lead actress turns it down with news that shocks him to the core, the married son & daughter split while holidaying with them too leaving the oldies to pick up the pieces. Reminiscing about love & loss, the past and the future, life and death, commitment and betrayal, and age and youth these age old emotional struggles confront the old boys before giving in to their fate. Already doing very well on the Awards circuit with multiple wins and nominations, this films also stars Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda.

THE BELIER FAMILY (Rated M) - A French comedy drama made for US$11M and has already grossed US$69M since its late 2014 French Premier in Paris, this film is Written and Directed by Eric Lartigau and has done well too on the Awards circuit picking up a number of wins and nominations along the way. Part of the Belier family is sixteen year old Paula (Louane Emera) who has become an essential and indispensable part of the household as the interpreter for her deaf parents and brother on a daily as needs basis. Discovering that she has a gift for singing, Paula's music teacher encourages her to take part in an acclaimed singing contest in Paris, with the prospect of fame and fortune if successful through a career path and a college degree.Paula however, is torn between her duty and her love of her family and a sense of doing there might thing by them, and stepping out on her own, taking a risk and making something of, and for herself as she embarks upon adulthood.

DADDY'S HOME (Rated PG) - Directed by Sean Anders this is the second time that Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell have shared screen time - the first being 2010's action comedy offering 'The Other Guys'. This time, Brad Taggart (Ferrell) is a mild mannered radio executive married to Sarah (Linda Cardellini) and is building a nice little family unit with the two children from Sarah's former marriage to Dusty Mayron (Wahlberg). Brad is determined to be the best possible step-dad on the planet and all is going good, until Dusty rocks up back in to town and starts to complicate Brad's plans. Dusty is a cool dude, street smart, the fit & athletic type, a home improvement expert, can turn is hand to just about anything, and is a loveable rogue, a rough diamond. Pretty soon Brad's previous confidence turns to insecurity, self doubt and fear that he might lose what he has. Needing to win back his family and restore his former place, it's on between Brad & Dusty, and may the best man win!

THE GOOD DINOSAUR (Rated PG) - Made for US$200M this is the second Pixar released film this year after 'Inside Out', and was released in the US a month ago after its 10th November World Premier in Paris, since which time it has grossed so far US170M. Aimed squarely at the family market this film is a dino tale that assumes the world was not hit by a meteor 65 million years ago, and that dinosaurs did not become extinct but survive to this present day. And so young Arlo (voiced by Raymond Ochoa) is caught in a fierce storm one day, washed downstream and awakes bruised, battered and bewildered wondering WTF just happened! And so begins and adventure survival story as Arlo seeks to be reunited with his parents Momma Ida (Frances McDormand) and Poppa Henry (Jeffrey Wright) meeting up with various other characters of the dino kind including Butch (Sm Elliott), Ramsey (Anna Paquin), Thunderclap (Steve Zahn) and Spot (Jack Bright) a young human kid that Arlo becomes mates with. Directed by Peter Sohn who also lends his voive talents, this film has been in a troubled disjointed production stage for six years, but is finally here, and seems well worth the wait by all accounts.

ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS : THE ROAD CHIP (Rated PG) - This is the fourth film in the franchise that launched in late 2007, and off the US$210M budget to make the first three, the world wide grosses have well exceeded US1.1B to date, not counting this instalment. This time Directed by Walt Becker the principle characters from the previous films are all here and have returned again. So this time around it seems that Dave (Jason Lee) is planning to get hitched down in Miami to his girlfriend, causing his good buddies to believe that it will be hasta la vista and thanks for coming afterwards for his loyal friends. Needing to prevent this from happening, the Chipmunks embark on  road trip, with only three days in which to get there and prevent this potential disaster from happening. Also featuring Justin Long, Christina Applegate and Anna Faris, this will be an acquired taste, but on the strength of the previous films in this series, is likely to do well.

As expected for any Christmas and New Year season the movie theatres are full of new content to appeal to all tastes and age groups. If none of these appeal, check out my previous Reviews and Previews for what was recently released and what is still doing the rounds at your local Odeon. In the meantime Merry Christmas!

See you at the Odeon.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

'INCEPTION' - archive from 4th August 2010.

I saw 'INCEPTION' on Monday night this week, and wow, what a film! Directed, Produced and Written by Chris Nolan this film has a huge ensemble cast; strong performances from that cast; an original, intelligent, thought provoking story; stunning visuals; and action aplenty. As we know subsequent to its release this film received huge critical and commercial success, raking in US$826M in Box Office receipts and a further US$68M in DVD and Blu-ray sales off a US$160M budget. It was also nominated for eight Academy Awards of which it walked way with four golden statues - for Best Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound Editing and Sound Mixing and along the way it picked up another staggering 158 award wins and 172 nominations. Along with his 'Batman' franchise success this film really established Nolan at the top of his game and ensured he could practically write his own name on almost any movie that came along afterwards.

The film centres around Dom Cobb (Leonard DiCaprio, on fine form) a skilled thief but not of the traditional kind. His particular set of skills surround extracting valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the sleeping dream state when our minds are at their most vulnerable. Because of this skill-set Cobb has become much in demand in the emerging world of corporate espionage, but this has come at a big personal price - having cost him everything he ever cared for, held dear and loved, and now he is a fugitive on the run. Now however, he has a chance to redeem himself.

Working with Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) also skilled in extraction, they are engaged by Saito (Ken Watanabe) to perform an 'inception' - which involves implanting an idea in someones subconscious rather than extracting it. Saito wants to dismantle an energy corporation that is being overseen by competitor Maurice Fischer (Pete Postlethwaite) who is on his death bed strapped up to various life support machines, so the idea needs to be implanted in the mind of his son & successor Robert (Cillian Murphy). The pay off for this job is that Saito will use his power and his connections to clear Cobb's name of a murder charge allowing him access to his children.

From here, Cobb & Arthur ready a Team that consist of Eames (Tom Hardy), as conman and identity forger; Yusuf (Dileep Rao), a chemist who mixes up a powerful sedative for a stable 'dream within a dream' state; Ariadne (Ellen Page), an architecture student who designs the labyrinth of the dream landscapes, recruited with the help of Professor Stephen Miles (Michael Caine). There is also Tom Berrenger as godfather to Robert and Executive Board Member of Fischer's company; Marion Cotillard as Mal Cobb - Dom's deceased wife who appears in various dreams during Cobb's process of extraction/inception; and Lukas Haas as Nash - one of Cobb's architects who betrays him, and is replaced later on by Ariadne.

As the film develops the Team enter several dream states that involve multi-tiered dreams and dreams within dreams as we go from rain soaked Los Angeles, into a hotel in the second level, and then into a snow capped mountain fortress in the third level all intertwined and with the Team split amongst the various levels and dealing with subconscious challenges, obstacles and potentially life threatening situations along the way. There is also another level where Cobb's wife Mal is believed to be in a state of limbo in a world they built together based on their shared experiences as man & wife, and which Cobb must access in order to free her even though she is dead in real life.

If you are confused by this complex plot then you can join the other 80% of those who saw this film initially, but don't let that get in the way of a good story and a cracking film. You really do need to pay attention to what is going on throughout the film in order to keep track of what is reality and what is a dream, and even the controversial thought provoking ending will leave you wondering and debating the question long after the credits have rolled. I loved this film, and still do, even after repeated viewings, and if you missed it on the big screen back in mid-2010 then shame on you, but, all is not lost and you can catch it on DVD, Blu-ray and download, and, you won't be disappointed.

A spectacle of a film in every sense that sits in my favourite top ranked films of all time for sure that offers solid, intelligent, well crafted adult entertainment at its best. A must-see!

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

KINGSMAN : THE SECRET SERVICE - Tuesday 10th February 2015.

Well, it's official! Colin Firth can now say that he is a bona fide movie action star having kicked more butt and amassed a body count to match that of any of Sly's, Arnie's or Bruce's singular movie outings of yesteryear, and along the way spin a mightily entertaining yarn that is 'KINGSMAN : THE SECRET SERVICE' which I saw last night with a couple of movie buddies. From Matthew Vaughan's opening title sequence that sees two middle eastern looking insurgents taken out by two black clad dudes hanging perilously from an oncoming chopper to the opening riffs of Dire Straits 'Money for Nothing' you just know you're in for a treat!

In Directing this modern take on the spy spoof that winks all the way at James Bond, Derek Flint, John Steed with a little Harry Palmer too (note the specs worn by the Kingsmen) and more recently Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer and thankfully not Austin Powers, Matthew Vaughan has added all the touchstones we have come to know and love over the years from the action spy genre, shaken them up, thrown them asunder and given us the middle finger of his right hand as if to say 'I did it my way'!

And so he has . . . and in spades! We have the English gentlemen types, the suave Saville Row suits, gadgets galore, space age technology, sophisticated residences, hideaway command centres, stunning locations as well as some pretty down to Earth ones, a megalomaniac villain with a plan to change the world and a beautiful henchwoman with the most evil pair of 'legs' you have ever seen. It's all good fun, and then of course there is the body count, and Vaughan's creative imaginative way of dispensing death at the hands of our heroes and villains. It all makes for a very enjoyable romp, and I bet that Colin Firth has not had so much fun on a movie set in years . . . if ever!

The story opens in the mid-90's with the opening credits sequence that for the Kingsmen doesn't quite go according to plan and one of them ends up very dead at the hands of a suicide vest wearing insurgent. Back in some downbeat looking council estate in London and Harry Hart (aka 'Galahad', played by Colin Firth) breaks the news to his wife and the young boy 'Eggsy' who then is about four years of age. He hands over a Kingsman medallion and says that is ever she needs help to call the number on the reverse said and say simply 'Oxfords not Brogues' and the matter will be dealt with.

Seventeen years later and we cut to a scene in deepest mountainous Argentina where a man is being held hostage -  and in arrives 'Lancelot' (Jack Davenport) who takes out the captors swiftly and with Kingsman precision, but in turn becomes a casualty at the hands of 'Gazelle' (Sofia Boutella) who has prosthetic razor sharp steel blades for legs . . . and she knows how to use 'em! Gazelle, is the henchwoman of Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) the semi-retired multi-billionaire who speaks with a lisp, is always colourfully attired and hates violence and the sight of blood but just wants to make the world a better place by seriously downsizing the population to deal with the climate change issue! As such, he has hatched a cunning plan involving the free distribution of his manufactured SIM cards that when activated by a certain broadcast signal set off a neurological impulse that turns humans uncontrollably violent against each other.

Eggsy (played in young adulthood by newcomer and one to watch Taron Egerton) meanwhile makes contact with the Kingsman through the medallion given to his mother and is recruited in this Secret Service by Galahad in an attempt to make good on the death of his father all those years ago. Eggsy has a life of council estate petty crime and no hope to look forward to so jumps at the chance for some adventure and daring-do! What follows is the usual training sequence where other hopefuls are put to the test and through their paces over several months as they all fall by the way side one by one leaving only one successful! The training regime is managed by 'Merlin' (Mark Strong) under the watchful eye of 'Arthur' (Michael Caine) to ensure the best outcome is achieved for the Secret Service.

All the while Valentine's plan is unfolding as he persuades more & more world leaders that his plan has credence and should been adopted to prevent climate and environmental disasters in the not too distant future that thus far have been caused by human over population. This all plays out on screen as the clock ticks down on the broadcast of the necessary signal to unleash violent mayhem on an unsuspecting global populace. Vaughan has choreographed some great action set pieces - most notably when Valentine tests his signal on an amassed Church congregation in the US mid-west that Galahad attends having been tipped off. Here we see Firth like you have never seen him before dispensing with crazed churchgoers with acts of extreme violence that result in impalings, dismemberment's, shootings, spearings, stranglings, bone crunching body blows, pistol acrobatics and fist fight gymnastics aplenty - it's a hoot and all largely at the hands of the English gent himself.

The final act as the countdown is on for gathered world dignitaries who have succumbed to Valentine's moral platitudes, is also a finale to behold as the resultant 'firework' display takes us into hitherto unknown territory - brilliantly executed (pardon the pun) and laugh out load OTT.

Needless to say the good guys win the day in what is another nod to Bond, and live to fight another day (or 'Die Another Day')  (well, most of them anyway) and in Eggsy it would appear we have a new suave, savvy, street smart secret service spy in the making. Hugely entertaining,  lavish and stylish, violent and extreme, well cast and deftly handled throughout this is delivered with the tongue firmly planted in the cheek, and definitely one of the most entertaining and engaging films of the year so far. Can't wait for the sequel.

  

-Steve, at Odeon Online-