MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Sci-Fi Action Thriller/Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh, Martin Donovan, Fiona Dourif, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Himesh Patel, Clémence Poésy, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jefferson Hall, Andrew Howard, Wes Chatham, Denzil Smith, Jeremy Theobald, Laurie Shepherd, Jack Cutmore-Scott/Runtime: 150 minutes
A million (or was it only three) years ago the state of the world, to say nothing of time itself, was in a state of ever-shifting flux. Of course, when the world is deep in the throes of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and the majority of businesses were shut down whilst people were shut in at home at best and getting horrifically sick at worst I think flux is a very polite way of viewing things. Even with the state of the world at that given time however, there were still constants to be taken into account. One of those could be found in the land of movie magic and that was, and still is, the fact that whenever iconic film helmer Christopher Nolan (a name that should by no means be a stranger to constant readers on this site, devoted cinephiles, fans of The Capes Crusader, or all of the above) announces the release of a new movie it is sure to result in a few things. Those being that the slice of cinema in question won’t just immediately attract attention across the planet, excite the box office sharks, but also prepare critics and the general movie going public in equal measure to carefully and intricately dissect every single bit of marketing material we are given whilst also debate as to what exactly this new movie is going to contain within its framework. Suffice it to say then that, no matter where your point of view lies, there is no denying that new Christopher Nolan movies have become that rare breed of event film that doesn’t require a previously established franchise to build anticipation. Rather, it just takes the phrase “From Christopher Nolan” and immediately an audience of at least a fairly decent size is sure to show up on opening night. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise then to learn that when I initially saw the first trailer for the slice of cinema I am reviewing for you, 2020’s Tenet, I was over the moon in my excitement, when it was delayed I was crushed, and having seen it….a number of times that I shan’t say here (so as to keep certain elements of my film nerd status secret) I thoroughly more or less enjoy it each and every time I sit down to watch it. Indeed make no mistake dear reader: this slice of cinema is very much a Christopher Nolan film. As a result, it definitely is not a film that is either going to make everyone happy or be one that they will be able to figure out (something that I can definitely guarantee will be the case here). Yet despite that, and a few other issues scattered about, there is no denying that this is still both a really good film altogether and one that is most assuredly a worthy entry in its iconic helmer’s equally as legendary filmography.
The plot is as follows: Taking place at an undetermined point of time known only as the 14th, Tenet gets its seriously topsy-turvy narrative underway in the city of Kiev in Ukraine as we witness an unnamed yet highly skilled member of that distinct group known as the CIA is on the ground embedded in with local SWAT forces to aid in thwarting a takeover of an opera house by a group of armed militants, recover a swiped supply of plutonium, and rescuing an asset all in one day! Yet we soon see that this mission turns out to be a bust and, even worse for our hero, he is soon captured and severely tortured which sees him engage in quite drastic measures to ensure his team’s survival. Now normally this might be the end of a story in this vein and in most cases, you would sadly be quite right about that. However, this is not a usual case and this is most certainly not the end; rather it is only the beginning. I say that because, following his rather perilously close brush with death, our unnamed hero (regarded only as the Protagonist…subtle Nolan, realllll subtle.) awakens to find himself in a hospital bed aboard a ship where he is told that everything he underwent during the aftermath of the mission in Kiev was nothing more than a test of loyalty. A test incidentally to see if he had what it took to become a part of an elite and highly enigmatic group known only as Tenet (hence the title). An organization that, among the little that is genuinely known about them, has been charged by parties unknown to utilize newly discovered scientific techniques to battle a threat that has the potential to affect no more and less than the human race in its entirety. Thus finding himself having to come to terms with both a incredible new way of doing things plus a ruthless and impending attack coming from the most extraordinary place possible, we see that our intrepid hero must partner up with his mysterious new handler, a young man by the name of Neil, in following a fairly slim path of clues to the man behind the impending calamity: a ruthless Russian by the name of Sator. Yet as the ever-encroaching disaster gets closer and closer and a positive future for our world gets less and less certain, can our dynamic duo and the small group of allies in their corner do everything in their collective power to avert no more and no less than a third World War or is this one fight that, despite all the evidence to the contrary, perhaps we are simply not meant to win? That I will leave for you to discover for yourself dear reader…..
Well I must say: if that story didn’t sound absolutely puzzling in any way, shape, form, or fashion then be warned because it’s like an iconic song from the 80s says: you ain’t seen nothing yet. Indeed I say that because, within the span of 2 and a half hours (credits included), you are subjected to such topics as thermodynamics, the grandfather paradox, temporal pincer movements, and other heavy science material that would make Neil DeGrasse Tyson smile with glee and Bill Nye thankful he never tried to cover for 90s kids in one of his Science Guy videos. Thankfully, I can say that even with this material at play this slice of cinema doesn’t ever once feel like the film equivalent of having to make your way through a really long and really draining advanced science TED talk. This is because in a few of his more noteworthy slices of cinema, Nolan has shown a genuine delight in tinkering with the concept of time, but in this slice of cinema he literally goes all in on that particular sandbox. With that in mind though, there is one thing that I think you should definitely know right now: despite what you may be thinking this slice of cinema does NOT deal with the long dealt with narrative hook of time travel. Rather, this slice of cinema is one that operates instead around a scientific concept known as time inversion. A concept that I, much to your eyes’ and brain’s personal happiness I’m sure won’t begin to try and describe for you here. Instead, I will simply say that it is very much a vital component to this slice of cinema’s intricate narrative to say nothing of key to comprehending that narrative in the first place. Speaking of the narrative, it should also be said that Nolan does a wonderful job in the specific manner in which he decides to regale us with this film’s narrative. By that I mean he gets underway by assailing you with important intel and terms before then rapidly bringing in a host of characters, with quite a few only in the movie for at most a couple of scenes, whilst also ensuring they each have a vital part in the proceedings. To be sure, it can be a bit much yet that’s what makes it even more incredible when you start to see how their parts fit into the grand scheme of things. We also see that the range of Nolan’s creativity is by no means limited to the narrative since, surprise surprise, Tenet manages to be phenomenal from both a technical and visual perspective. Indeed, with the aid of his cinematography department, we see that Nolan is able to concoct some truly astonishing action sequences including fisticuffs, car pursuits, a gun battle or two, a rather distinct take on bungee jumping that you have to see to believe, a crazy stunt with a Boeing 747, and a pair of moments involving items coined inversion “turnstiles” that all in their own ways prove to be some truly jaw-dropping material. Indeed, if there is one issue I can think of in regards to the work done behind the camera it would be that this film does have a fantastic musical accompaniment yet there are a few times where it proves to be so overbearing that any dialogue spoken by the actors is all but impossible to hear. Besides that however, there is no denying that once more we see that in terms of behind the camera work Christopher Nolan and his team have managed to sculpt for us a riveting slice of cinema designed to astonish you whilst giving your brain quite the work out. No it’s not going to be for everyone, but for those of you are onboard with this kind of film then sit back and enjoy the show.
Of course, the other big component that has always made Christopher Nolan movies work on the level that they ultimately do is the fact that not only is the man able to get a truly fantastic cast every time he makes a movie, but because that cast then is all able to deliver truly top-tier performances. Suffice it to say that is a trend that, more or less, manages to continue here as well. This starts with John David Washington (son of a certain acting icon whose first name may or may not sound a lot like Denzel) in the lead role of the Protagonist (again real subtle there movie) and honestly he is really freaking good. Indeed not only does Washington manage to bring a fantastic assertiveness and composed demeanor to the part, but he also manages to make this character into quite the action hero as well courtesy of some truly remarkable stunt work. Suffice it to say that I know that some of his movie choices (Amsterdam anyone?) have been a bit….weird, but there is no denying that Washington is still a terrific actor when working with the right material and that is definitely the case here. Alongside Washington, I also love the multilayered work done here by Robert Pattinson (not a sentence I ever thought I would say before the year 2012) in the role of the Protagonist’s partner Neil. Indeed Pattinson and Washington here manage to do a great job together at not only playing off each other both in moments that are comedic and in moments that might actually see you holding back some tears of your own, but also in leading the audience through the complex narrative as best they can. We also get a truly terrific turn here from Elizabeth Debicki in the vital role of Kat Barton. Indeed Debicki has, since her breakthrough turn in 2013’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby, proven herself a phenomenal talent to keep an eye out for whenever she appears in a project. Suffice it to say that it should come as no surprise then to learn that here she does a wonderful job at providing this often very clinical film with a bit of an emotional core in order to ensure that we as movie goers are still able to invest not only in the story, but in the characters as well. Of course, a film’s hero is only at times as good as the villain they are going up against (or so I am told). Thankfully, this slice of cinema has that avenue covered courtesy of a fairly winning turn here from icon of British cinema Kenneth Branagh (himself a Nolan vet following his terrific turn in 2017’s masterful war film Dunkirk) in the role of Andrei Sator. Indeed Branagh does a masterful job at making this guy not only downright despicable, but one you will have no issues absolutely despising and hoping that he gets what is coming to him and then some. To be sure, Sator might not get as much in terms of dimension as some of the other characters in the story, but be that as it may be there is still no denying that Branagh manages to provide quite the potent (to say nothing of downright chilling at points) performance. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in some wonderful yet brief turns from such screen talent as Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Fiona Dourif as well as Nolan veterans Michael Caine and Martin Donovan to name but a few there is no denying that not only is the cast assembled here really well-chosen for their respective characters, but they all manage to do great work as well no matter how big or small their role in the complex proceedings that unfold may turn out to be.
All in all is Tenet a perfect slice of cinema? Not even close. Along with that, is this the best slice of cinema that it’s iconic helmer has seen fit to give us in his quite legendary career? Nope. Sorry. With that in mind though, is this a terrible movie that should be avoided at any and all cost? I honestly wouldn’t say that either. Rather, I would just say that for me while I did enjoy this slice of cinema I can also see why there are people out there who won’t want a single blessed thing to do with it. Suffice it to say then that if you want a movie that explains everything within its runtime in a manner that is all nice and neat with a beautiful bow on top and leaves you with zero questions by the end of the movie….then I’m sure there are other movies out there that can fulfill that need for you so definitely go find and check those out instead. On the other hand however, if you are in the desire for a movie that will challenge you on an intellectual level, deploy highly advanced scientific concepts as if they were commonplace items you talk about around the dinner table, leave you with some serious questions to consider the moment the screen cuts to black and credits start to appear, and manage to incorporate some fantastic work from both behind and in front of the camera then this slice of cinema is definitely more in your ballpark. Suffice it to say that it might have its fair share of issues and it can most assuredly get more than just a wee bit on the complicated side, but Tenet is still nevertheless a fairly riveting and insightful slice of cinema from a film helming icon who since the beginning of his career has seemingly been giving us that and so much more. On a scale of 1-5 I give Tenet “2020” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
