Tenet

"Tenet" requires patience to comprehend, and not simply because of the film's primary idea, "time inversion." The tone may be off-putting; that's the closest Nolan has ever been to a James Bond film, but he forgoes 007's charming romanticism in favor of a universe of solemn professionals who relate only via their mutual interest in work. While it may seem that Nolan is isolating his characters from feeling, sophisticated portrayals by Robert Pattison, John David Washington, and Elizabeth Debicki reveal that they are alienated by their failures to lead regular lives. At the same time, the destiny of the world is at risk.

While only ardent Nolan devotees can keep up with the film's rapid-fire expositional speech, the objectives of every set piece are always clear. Nolan produces some of his most remarkable action scenes to date in "Tenet," with meticulously staged moments such as the Oslo Fremont robbery and the introductory opera escape compounded by the confluence of present and future timelines.

"Tenet" inundated the audience with details to the degree that it might be easy to overlook critical elements; the horrific environmental incident that drives villain Andrei Sator (by Kenneth Branagh) receives less attention in comparison to the tedious effort spent to understand time inversion. The unrelenting tempo ensures that there is never a moment of boredom, but the amount of critical attention required for each scene may be draining.

Year of Release: 2020

Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson

IMDB: 7.4