Tenet

Armed with only one word - Tenet - and determined to fight to save the world, our protagonist crisscrosses the twilight world of international espionage. His mission will project him into a dimension that goes beyond time. However, this is not a journey through time, but a temporal reversal.

Tenet has established itself as a cinematic event and not just the only blockbuster of this late summer. At a time when the world is undergoing a global pandemic, Tenet sends us back as much to our many psychological wounds, to the force that drives us day after day to get back on our feet despite all the current ups and downs. Tenet is a true cinematic experience that reminds us how important it is to discover a film in a movie theater (preferably Imax). From the inventive direction of his first film Memento (2000) to films of rare emotional power such as Inception (2010), the trilogy devoted to his vision of Batman (Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark knight rises (2012), and more personal films such as Interstellar (2014) and Dunkerque (2017), Christopher Nolan has established himself as a virtuoso screenwriter and visionary director.

Not only does Tenet stand out as a perfect mix of science fiction, spy, action and adventure films, but it also bears witness to a director who has never rested on the easy way out, and while his new film might seem complicated to some, as well as to those accustomed to a cinema of reflection and who know how to fully immerse themselves in a film, Tenet stands out as one of his best to date, if not simply his best.

It's interesting to see that Hollywood cinema knows how to take advantage of its heritage, as this film shows so well. It reminds us so much of a film worthy of the best British James Bond agent but also to take a closer look at Mission Impossible by the presence of this duo of modern heroes The Protagonist (John David Washington) and Neil (Robert Pattinson). Once again, as in the introduction of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan opens his film with an anthological scene showing that he is indeed one of the best directors of today and especially that he was able to gain his total independence to direct this film that he produces, writes and directs. However, Tenet is not just a simple mechanical succession of spectacular action scenes (there are many of them in this film), but above all, as in his previous films, the question of a man's limits in order to achieve the triumph of goodness. From his first film, Memento, Christopher Nolan once again gives us a puzzle and captures our full attention. Far from being a simple science-fiction film, Tenet's scenario blurs the lines and totally reinvents the theme of time travel.

This search for perfection by a director who is constantly reinventing himself can also be seen in the great care taken in the casting of this film, notably the presence of Kenneth Branagh in the role of a Russian oligarch (Sator) worthy of a villain in a James Bond saga film, but also the many secondary roles played by Elizabeth Debicki (Katherine), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Jr.), Himesh Patel (Ahmad), Dimple Kapadia (Susan), Clémence Poésy (Laura), Michael Caine (Crosby), Martin Donovan (Quinton) and Fiona Dourif. This perfect cast gives the film real depth and shows that no role was overlooked whether it was a simple appearance by Michael Caine or a more important secondary role such as Sator's girlfriend (Elizabeth Debicki). Tenet demonstrates once again that Christopher Nolan not only transcends the simple summer blockbuster into a film that makes viewers reflect on our actions and their impact. The many levels of reading of the film, the equally many scattered clues make two readings of the film seem necessary to appreciate even more this great film that pays tribute to cinema as it feeds off of it.

Once again Christopher Nolan simply delivers us a great film, to see one of the best blockbusters of this rare year in a cinematic event of such power & emotion. At the end of the film, you will only want to see it again and applaud this outstanding storyteller that is Christopher Nolan.

Tenet
Directed by Christopher Nolan
Produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan
Written by Christopher Nolan
Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine Kenneth Branagh
Music by Ludwig Göransson
Cinematography : Hoyte van Hoytema
Edited by Jennifer Lame
Production companies : Warner Bros. Pictures, Syncopy
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date : August 26, 2020 (France), September 3, 2020 (United States),
Running time : 150 minutes

Seen on August 29, 2020 at Gaumont Disney Village, Room Imax

Mulder's Mark: