By Nick Verdi, Staff Writer
TENET: Another masterful Nolan-Flick.
Tenet (2020), directed by Christopher Nolan is a spy-thriller following lead actor John David Washington on a journey to prevent the destruction of the world. While the plot may initially seem cliche, Nolan’s take on the spy-thriller is quite abstract, and has a unique presentation with his concept of time inversion. In a simple explanation, “inversion” occurs when one moves backwards in time, and the effects of time are opposite or inverted. This unique idea creates many tense sequences, and mind boggling set pieces. The concept, while sounding pretentious at times, adds to its gripping narrative, and gives a real weight to the movie’s steaks. However, to say that the concept is without flaws would be completely wrong; often its use feels too structurally similar to plot devices in Nolan’s previous works, like Inception (2010), and Memento (2000). This is because of how the film is structured with Nolan’s trademark of explaining the entire plot in the third act.
Even though many have criticized Tenet for having cold characters who are hard to relate to; I would argue contrary. The characters in Tenet, while akin to many of Nolan’s stoically written characters, are more dynamic in my opinion, especially when looking at The Protagonist, as portrayed by John David Washington. The Protagonist is an agent operating on the bounds of a “Twilight World,” and is working to stop a world-ending threat. Throughout the entire runtime of the film, Washington’s character is never named, yet his character is motivating, and convincing. In my opinion, he conveys the idea of the thankless protagonist, a hero who will make history, that the world will never know, which ties perfectly into the spy-espionage-thriller atmosphere Nolan was achieving. Another great character was Neil, portrayed by Robert Pattinson. Neil is the protagonist’s main partner in securing the safety of the world. He was a great supporting character, and often stole the screen at points. His charismatic performance reminded me of the likes of Michael Kaine’s supporting role as Alfred, in the Dark-Knight-Trilogy. A stand out performance within this film would be from Elizabeth Debicki, who played Kat, a mother bound to a loveless marriage for the safety of her son. Debicki’s performance was a standout, and was filled with depth. Debicki’s performance was complemented by the main antagonist/plot device Andrei Sator, as portrayed by Kenneth Branagh. Andrei Sator is an arms-dealer who is said to have extensive ties to the future, and holds an obsessive grip over his wife. He delivered a cruel performance, which sold the direness found within Debicki’s character.
The cinematography was beautifully composed, and I would say is top-tier Nolan, maybe only beaten by the likes of 2010’s Inception. Nolan really stepped outside of his comfort zone in Tenet, with an almost saturated color palette, with more hymns of red, and purple. Nolan also directed action much better than in his previous films, with the camera movement, and fight choreography being unlike anything I have ever seen. This is due to the inversion concept, with some fight scenes showing an inverted opponent fighting an opponent in regular time (One person is moving forwards, the other backwards in time). The standout scenes of action being the reverse freeport fight scene, and the big stepiece at the end of the film.
Overall, I would rate this as one of Nolan’s best works personally. My main critiques of the movie lie in its convoluted gimmick, which can seem pretentious, and its somewhat cliche Nolan plot. His surprisingly complex and intricate film deserves multiple viewings. Upon a first watch it is enjoyable, but with multiple viewings; the complexities of the plot are unraveled as you begin to understand the depth, and the symbolism of Nolan’s themes. However, if you are not familiar with Nolan’s work, it would probably be a fresh, and overwhelmingly original experience, as compared to Hollywood’s recent superhero-blockbuster-CGI trend. I can definitely say it is probably the best film I have seen this year, and deserves more recognition from audiences.