Inception is a 2010 American science fiction film written,produced,and directed by Christopher Nolan.The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio,Ken Watanabe,Joseph Gordon-Levitt,Marion Cotillard,Ellen Page,Tom Hardy,Cillian Murphy,Tom Berenger,and Michael Caine.DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb,a thief who extracts information from the subconscious mind of his victims while they dream.Unable to visit his children,Cobb is offered a chance to regain his old life in exchange for one last job:performing inception,the planting of an idea into the mind of his client's competitor.Inception deals with ideas of skepticism and Solipsism.
Development began roughly nine years before Inception was released.In 2001,Nolan wrote an 80-page treatment about dream-stealers,presenting the idea to Warner Bros.The story was originally written as a heist film,inspired by concepts of lucid dreaming and dream incubation.Feeling he needed to have more experience with large-scale films,Nolan opted to work on Batman Begins,The Prestige and The Dark Knight.He spent six months polishing up the script for Inception before Warner Bros.purchased it in February 2009.Filming spanned six countries and four continents,beginning in Tokyo on June 19,2009 and finishing in Canada in late November of the same year.Composer Hans Zimmer scored the film,using parts of Edith Piaf's song "Non,je ne regrette rien".
Inception was officially budgeted at $160 million,a cost that was split between Warner Bros.and Legendary Pictures.Nolan's reputation and success with The Dark Knight helped secure the film $100 million in advertising expenditure.Inception premiered in London on July 8,2010 and was released in both conventional and IMAX theaters on July 14,2010.Released to critical acclaim,the film grossed over $21 million on its opening day,with an opening weekend gross of $62.7 million.
Leonardo DiCaprio as Dom Cobb,the Extractor,a professional thief who specializes in conning secrets from his victims by infiltrating their dreams.Cobb leads a team consisting of Arthur,Ariadne,Eames,Saito,and Yusuf,with the goal of influencing Fischer's actions via his dreams.
Ellen Page as Ariadne,the Architect,a graduate student who is recruited to construct the various dream-scapes,which are described as mazes.The name Ariadne alludes to a princess of Greek myth,daughter of King Minos,who aided the hero Theseus by giving him a sword and a ball of string to help him navigate the labyrinth which was the prison of the Minotaur.
Marion Cotillard as Mal Cobb,the Shade,Dom Cobb's projection of his deceased wife and a frequent,malevolent presence in his dreams.She is a manifestation of his guilt about the real Mal's suicide.Dom is unable to control these projections of her,challenging his abilities as an extractor.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Arthur,the Point Man,Cobb's partner and the man responsible for researching the team's targets.
Ken Watanabe as Mr.Saito,the Tourist,a businessman who employs Cobb for the team's mission,and insists on being a member.
Tom Hardy as Eames,the Forger,a sharp-tongued associate of Cobb's.Eames uses his ability to take the form of others in order to manipulate Fischer in Fischer's dreams.
Dileep Rao as Yusuf,the Chemist,who formulates the drugs needed to sustain the dream states.
Cillian Murphy as Robert Michael Fischer,the Mark,the heir to a business empire and the team's target.
Tom Berenger as Peter Browning,Fischer's godfather and fellow executive at the Fischers' company.
Michael Caine as Miles,Cobb's mentor and father-in-law,and Ariadne's college professor who recommends her to the team.
Pete Postlethwaite as Maurice Fischer,Robert's dying father.
Lukas Haas as Nash,an architect in Cobb's employment who is replaced by Ariadne.
Miranda Nolan plays a minor role as an air hostess.Miranda is a first cousin to the film's director Christopher Nolan.