In the last part we saw the final member of the team, the person with the magic drugs that help knock everyone out and help them to enter the dream work. Now we’re getting into the real meat of the movie as the gang work out their technique and then head on into Fischer’s brain.
59. Now it’s time to learn more about the mission. Their subject is Robert Fischer and Saito is doing this for the greater good, to prevent them from having total dominance.
60. So Eames goes undercover to spy on Robert Fischer’s godfather, Browning, and the head of the Fischer empire. Maurice Fischer knocks a picture off the beside which Browning assumes has some significance to Maurice. It obviously doesn’t and Robert is bitter.
61. Eames’s job is to pretend to be different people at various levels of the dream. They have to make Fischer’s subconscious give him the idea. Confused yet?
62. Ariadne’s making her totem. It’s a chess piece for anyone who’s keeping track.
63. Cobb is ‘running experiments’ and his totem used to belong to Mal.
64. Cobb can’t look at the mazes Ariadne is creating because otherwise he’ll bring Mal in. Then you end up with problems like Mal showing up and shooting Arthur. This obviously makes things difficult.
65. Oh and more information. Cobb can’t go to America because they think he killed Mal.
66. Another team meeting. The idea has to be emotional and positive apparently. They need to make Fischer believe that his father wanted him to do his own thing. At each level they have to go deeper and deeper into the idea.
67. Time will get slower the longer they’re under. At the deepest level they could be stuck under for ten years.
68. Eames elegantly demonstrates what a kick is. I love how he is with Arthur.
69. Saito proves he’s not just the financier of this little operation, suggesting that Fischer’s flight from Sydney to Los Angeles would give them ten hours to work their magic uninterrupted. Arthur points out they’d have to buy out the whole plane. Luckily Saito has thought of that. He bought the whole airline!
70. Ariadne walks in on Cobb dreaming in HQ, so decides to plug herself in and join him. Not a good idea.
71. Cobb is pretty annoyed to see her there. Can’t think why. The way Ariadne says ‘you’ve asked me to share dreams with you’ makes it sound as though sharing dreams is a really intimate thing to do.
72. Ariadne’s figured out that Cobb is using memories instead of creating something new. Considering what a big no-no this is, but still has to keep visiting these places which he can’t change.
73. Side note: those children look a lot younger than they sounded on the phone. I’m guessing that he’s not been able to go back to America for some time.
74. Meanwhile Ariadne has dashed off to explore Cobb’s memories by herself. Which is kind of rude, just running around in another person’s thoughts. Especially as she’s just run into Mal again and the Mal of Cobb’s memories is kind of jealous and suspicious. And insane.
75. There’s no time to discuss what they just saw though. Maurice Fischer has just died so it’s time to get on with it. And Ariadne uses what she’s seen to wangle her way onto the plane, she gets to visit dream world too.
76. Eames does a nifty bit of pickpocketing as Fischer passes him, handing off his passport to Cobb, who then passes it back to Fischer, telling him is father was a ‘very inspiring figure’. He also drugs Fischer’s water, because he’s nice like that.
77. Once he’s out everyone springs into action, getting themselves all plugged in.
78. Pay attention, Yusef takes a swig of his drink right before they go under.
79. And in Dream World One it’s chucking it down. Apparently this is what happens when you need the loo. In dreams when you need the loo, it’s when you find a toilet that you really have to worry.
80. First task in Dream World One; hijack a taxi and pick up Fischer. This is a little bit like Grand Theft Auto.
81. Meanwhile, just after Ariadne hops in the car with Cobb, a train crashes into them. This is Cobb’s subconscious getting a little creative.
82. As if things aren’t going badly enough, the taxi is under fire now as well. Looks like Fischer’s subconscious might be getting suspicious. Although they escape, Saito has been shot. He’s dying, slowly.
83. Cue the argument between Cobb and Arthur. And the reveal that because of the sedation, if they die in the dream they’ll wind up in Limbo. As Cobb is the only one of them who’s been there out of the group, it’ll be his crazy raw subconscious that they’ll end up hanging out in. For the equivalent of decades. At least you’ll have the company of Mal… that’ll be fun.
84. Everyone’s a bit miffed to learn this, especially as they’re currently surrounded by Fischer’s dream security, who will kill them. And they’d have to survive for the equivalent of a week.
85. Fischer’s being pushed to tell his kidnappers what the combination to his father’s safe is. Eames, as Browning, makes out that he’s been tortured and fills in Fischer; the kidnappers want to know the safe combination. Just in case you didn’t get that the first time.
86. Fischer calls Browning ‘Uncle Peter’, that’s sweet.
87. Cobb gives us the happy information that Limbo will scramble Saito’s brain. He’s not going to remember their deal. So Cobb will be arrested when he reaches America, this is entirely not the outcome he was hoping for.
88. Apparently the thing in the safe is Maurice’s greatest gift to Robert. Eames!Browning suggests that it’s something to do with splitting up the business. Unfortunately Fischer reveals that his father’s last word to him was ‘disappointed’, this might make things difficult.
And next week we might find out what that is... Well, actually we won't, that'll be the week after. Next week we'll get to visit two more Dream Worlds though, exciting stuff!
You are really breaking this down! It is such an intricate film that a book could be written about it. In fact maybe it has. Still it's a great film to analyze as well as just watch.
ReplyDeleteArlee Bird
A to Z Challenge Co-host
Tossing It Out
Thanks. :-)
DeleteI love watching films for these posts because I pay way more attention to them than I would normally. You can't help but notice things you've not seen before. And it's a really good film anyway. My husband actually requested I do one of these posts on it so he knew he wasn't missing anything!