Tenet (2020)

Review

150min

Genre:     Action, Mystery, Sci-fi, Thriller

Director:   Christopher Nolan

Cast:       John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki…

Writers:    Christopher Nolan

-Synopsis-

When fragments of the future begin to move strangely through the present and give us a glimpse of catastrophe to come, a resourceful American agent and a shadowy group of characters target a dangerous Ukrainian arms dealer to unravel a mysterious conspiracy which threatens the world, in this spy action/thriller and latest cerebral blockbuster spectacle from the writer/director of ‘Inception’ and ‘Interstellar’.

In the midst of a global pandemic which brought the world to its knees, and after multiple delays under the pressure of both saving the summer movie slate and leading the industry and the theatrical release business out of the darkness, cinema is back with an entropic bang as Christopher Nolan’s latest epic cinematic spectacle finally hits the biggest of screens.

John David Washington stars as a resourceful CIA agent known as ‘The Protagonist’, who is recruited by a shadowy organisation after encountering objects with strange entropic properties which give a glimpse of a future to be prevented. Embarking on a globe-trotting, time-bending mission and joining forces with smooth British agent ‘Neil’ (Robert Pattinson) and the suffering wife of a Ukrainian arms dealer ‘Kat’ (Elizabeth Debicki) to unravel the mystery surrounding her dangerous husband ‘Andrei’ (Kenneth Branagh), and prevent a global catastrophe.

As many have already observed, the appropriately palindromic and mirrored titled ‘Tenet’ might well be the ticket if you ever wondered what a Chris Nolan made James Bond film might look like. A taut muscular spy action/thriller where all the stops are pulled out and the stakes are mighty high, featuring all the fistfights, chases, shootouts and heists you could hope for, and all masterfully shot in-camera with practical effects—not to mention having a Soviet era relic of a villain to boot . . . albeit one with a 21^st century upgrade. And good use is made of the current tensions between Russia and the West to create the backdrop for a new, more subversive and potentially more devastating cold war.

But it’s a good thing that Nolan probably won’t bother tackling 007, because unshackled by the limitations of Eon Productions and the Bond franchise he has once again delivered a complex spectacle so bold that it redefines what is visually and narratively possible in cinema. And in terms of the size and nature of the spectacle, the themes, and perhaps the even scale of the narrative, you could argue it’s his most ambitious film to date, although fans of 2014’s ‘Interstellar’ might have something to say about that.

‘Tenet’ once again sees Nolan’s dedication to the cerebral blockbuster skim the complexities of scientific theory, and as in 2010’s ‘Inception’ introduce a new cinematic concept at the centre of the narrative driving the spectacle. He combines it with the experimentation of reverse narrative chronology we first saw in his 2000 sophomore feature ‘Memento’, and the concept of time being affected by universal forces seen in ‘Interstellar’, in that case gravity, to create “Inversion”—a process which changes the entropy of things and reverses the flow of time through which they can pass, more time displacement than time travel.

The result is a reversal of motion which makes for action sequences which boggle the mind, made all the more impressive by the fact that they rely on meticulously planned and expertly executed practical stunts and effects rather than CGI. But if you think you’ve seen real-time rewinding in film before, you ain’t seen nothing like this we’re sure. And it’s all beautifully shot by Swiss cinematographer and now regular Nolan collaborator Hoyte Van Hoytema, who captures everything with a glossy modern, often grey hue to give the story a fitting sense of twilight.

The film’s atmosphere and intense experience is further elevated by its sound, which sees Christopher Nolan switch up composers by swapping regular masterful collaborator Hans Zimmer for one of the vanguard of a new generation Ludwig Göransson, who completes a meteoric rise in the industry which saw him go from record producer and early Ryan Coogler collaborator to an Oscar-winner and the craftsman of the ‘Star Wars’ sound on the small screen late last year. And although the young Swede’s efforts may not prove as beautiful and emotive as the German maestro’s work with Nolan, it’s easily as energetic and pulsating, designed to test the nerves and often giving us the feeling that we’ve been pulled into an underground trance club where all hell is breaking loose.

It also makes good use of its cast—although character development is hardly at the forefront of the narrative here—with Robert Pattinson doing no damage to his chances of being the next Bond with his turn as a capable and mysterious British agent, although perhaps being The Dark Knight (or one version of him) and 007 at the same time might be a bridge too far. But ‘Tenet’ is ultimately carried on the strong shoulders of its emerging star, proving that John David Washington inherited not only the walk and the talk from his revered father, but also his charisma and intense screen presence, while adding a touch of his own brooding stoicism. And Nolan makes exceptionally good use of his star’s formidable physical abilities for a role which truly requires them, a physicality forged on tracks and American Football fields from Washington’s previous life as a college and pro NFL running back.

So, the million-dollar question has to be does ‘Tenet’ live up to the rest of Christopher Nolan’s extraordinary filmography?—and the answer is a resounding . . . not quite. First there are of course the complaints surrounding the confusing and convoluted nature of the story, which are a bit overstated, but nevertheless the film is certainly loud and it doesn’t help when crucial moments of murmured expositional dialogue are easily missed in the middle of the mayhem. Not the mention the sudden drops into new locations which include London, Mumbai, the Amalfi Coast, Estonia and the Ukraine, often with little lead-up.

And yet despite the complexities of the narrative and Nolan’s shallow dive into theoretical physics to create “Inversion”, plus stakes which couldn’t be much higher, this is not as existential or profound a movie as the likes of ‘Inception’ and ‘Interstellar’—and that’s sort of the problem. The science (fictional or otherwise) and the technicalities in the story feel much more like a backdrop and a mechanism to drive what is essentially a deceptively traditional spy thriller, albeit an epic and spectacular one. And if you do ponder too deeply over the story you start to stumble into potential plot holes, or at least curiosities which Nolan is in no mood to explain, although to be fair who wants yet another mystery which ends by meticulously explaining itself?

Then there are the characters, who apart from Washington’s aptly named protagonist fail to truly draw us in. And ‘Tenet’ stumbles when it comes to connecting the audience with them, providing virtually no backstory for the heroes and struggling to sell Debicki’s mother-son relationship, which is meant to ground the film in some humanity and make the stakes more personal. Resulting in a film which has some superficial charm and humour, but not much warmth.

Ultimately ‘Tenet’ is a victim of Christopher Nolan’s exceptionally high standards, and it just doesn’t make us feel the way his other films do, nor does it completely capture our imagination the same way or prove quite as engrossing, and it’s not as mind-bending or expanding as the likes of ‘Inception’ and ‘Interstellar’. What it is though is a technical marvel, a visually and audially mesmerising summer spectacle with the gloss and style of a master filmmaker, which grabs you by the crotch right from the off and never lets go. One which is at times truly awe-striking and majorly entertaining, the kind of film which would drive a jet liner into a building just to create a distraction . . . quite literally. And in these times when cinema, true cinema is in peril, and the screened cathedrals in which it shines under threat, it’s a perfect tonic to bloody COVID-19—but do stay safe out there.

The Bottom Line…

Whilst it may not hit the emotional and existential high notes of previous Christopher Nolan movies, or boast as finely judged a narrative, ‘Tenet’ still proves that the British filmmaker has lost none of his boldness and ambition, delivering yet another big screen epic that defines event filmmaking and the cerebral blockbuster. A taut, stylish muscular spy action/thriller which re-defines what spectacle can be and proves that if it’s in camera, it’s more real. A fitting film to hopefully resuscitate a theatrical release industry which desperately needs it.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

Inception (2010)

A smooth expert at stealing corporate secrets through dream manipulation technology assembles a crew for his most daring heist, doing the reverse and implanting thoughts into the mind of a powerful CEO. But the mission turns increasingly perilous when he becomes a highly wanted fugitive and the lines between dream and reality become increasingly blurred, while the ghosts of his past come back to haunt him—in this mind-bending and epic cerebral sci-fi action/thriller from the mind of Christopher Nolan.

Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page among others.

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