HOLLYWOOD—Summer 2010 was pegged as the year for movie blockbusters. Surely counting “Eclipse” and “Karate Kid” you would say that so far it’s been a banner year. However, when “Inception” is released on Friday across the nation, the previous films will pale in comparison to Leo DiCaprio’s brilliant performance in this feature film. It is directed and written by famed filmmaker Christopher Nolan, and it stars DiCaprio, Tom Berenger and Michael Caine. There surely can’t be any doubt that this is a great movie.

Characterized as a mystery, drama and Sci Fi thriller, all of those descriptions are appropriate. The studio synopsis says the following, “Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved.”

That’s when the action picks up. Cobb then uses the reverse of his stealing method. He instead plans on planting an idea not to steal the idea. All of it culminates into a dire situation that only Cobb could have foreseen. It still doesn’t make the matter easy to deal with, even for him.

What is best about this film is the emotional and intellectual use of the moviegoer’s own imagination. Leo DiCaprio becomes Cobb, but his acting in this is better than anything I’ve seen him do in over a decade. Mind blowing action and even more so, much like films of the golden age, this film has imagination and it makes you think. You leave the theater feeling as if your IQ has gone up 20 points and then you think about the almost shape shifting brain waves man must have in order to create such a spectacular story.

Leo’s performance gets an A-plus, the action and suspense can hardly be calculated. This is one of those films that grownups will want to see again and again. Whether it’s a box office hit or not, it should be. This film is an evolution of prowess and creation by director and writer Nolan, and a creative evolution for DiCaprio, who has surpassed even my belief that he’d become one of Hollywood’s greatest actors. I would say, not even Johnny Depp or Robert Downey Jr. could have topped Leo’s performance in this film, and that says a lot.
“Inception” receives Five plus Stars out of Five Stars from this reviewer. The film opens on Friday, July 16, nationwide.