Tenet

Tenet
Starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh
Directed by Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan is one of his generation's most intelligent cinematic geniuses.  Not only does he direct mind-bending films, but he also writes most of them as well, and in a time where Hollywood is over-saturated with reboots, remakes, and novel adaptations, it's always refreshing to see someone with bold new ideas bringing his vision to the big screen, and hardly anyone does it better than Nolan.  Even when he's directing works from other people (such as his stellar Batman trilogy), he's always got a unique vision and produces something entirely memorable, but it's his own work that really sets him apart.  "Inception," "Interstellar," "Memento" - all three were iconic films that far surpassed even the most highest praise, offering awe-inspiring stories that were never seen before.  Now with "Tenet," he continues to add to his impressive repertoire (and maintain his one-word titles) by again producing something wholly original and unique, a visual masterpiece that is also highly cerebral and filled with tremendous performances.

"Tenet" follows the Protagonist (John David Washington) as he sets out to prevent an upcoming Armageddon that will bring about the end of the world, with the assistance of his handler Neil (Robert Pattinson) and the wife of the villainous Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) Kat (Elizabeth Debicki). 

To go into anymore detail about the film would be giving away its stunning storyline, and this is one of those films that's better to go into knowing less than more.  The trailers did a wonderful job at keeping the premise under wraps, even though you can draw some conclusions from them - it's not what you think.  There's twists and turns aplenty, and surprisingly it wasn't hard to follow despite its cerebral take (it probably helps that there's a lot of expository dialogue, which normally would be annoying it really helped in aiding me to understand the events happening).  Basically, this would be a James Bond film if directed by Nolan, right down to the villainous Russian enemy that wants to destroy the world.

John David Washington continues to pave his own path in the cinematic world by providing a compelling, suave performance that once again proves that he can hold his own in any film.  Robert Pattinson gives a charming performance as the suave handler while Elizabeth Debicki blends strength and sadness and Kenneth Branagh does his best villainous role in years.  Everyone involved on screen delivers their A-game, and it only adds to the visual wonder Nolan delivers.

While the film's story is highly thoughtful, it's the visuals that really make it "pop."  Numerous times I was in awe of what I was seeing, as again it was something I never saw in any film before, which is again due to Nolan's beautiful mind.  Whether it's the opening opera scene or the airplane crash or the most unique car chase ever (none of which are spoilers because they're all included in the trailer), there's never a dull moment with this film, and that's thanks in large part to Hoyte van Hoytema's cinematography and Jennifer Lame's tight editing.  Then there's the sound mixing and editing, which explodes your auditory senses in a cavalcade of noises that bring you closer to the action on screen, not to mention the top-notch musicality of composer Ludwig Goransson and orchestrator Pete Anthony.  Many questioned why Nolan would release this film in theaters as the COVID-19 pandemic rages, but clearly this was a film that was meant to be seen on the big screen to be wholly appreciated.   

Once again delivering something we've never seen on screen before, "Tenet" is a mind-bending action/adventure film that's wholly Christopher Nolan and wholly unique and as memorable as his other magna operas.

The Score: A+