3) Chase Through Mombasa
Early on in the movie Cobb finds himself in a sticky situation as he travels to Africa to meet up with Eames. While there, he realizes he has a tail on him and he must lose it if he is to get out of there alive. As Eames runs interference, Cobb hops over the balcony and the chase is on.
Hans Zimmer’s pounding score kicks in and as Cobb runs through the streets of Mombasa, Nolan films the scene with intensity and velocity. Mixed in with some nice top down shots of the city, the scene follows Cobb as he tries to evade his captors. The scene culminates in a narrow (no pun intended) escape.
Equal to any chase scene in a ‘Bourne’ film, the Mombasa chase is truly thrilling. From the moment Cobb hits the ground and Zimmer’s track ‘Mombasa’ kicks in, the energy level shoots through the roof. Cobb frantically races through the overcrowded streets as he tries to make his way to safety.
Zimmer’s high tempo and upbeat track fuels the scene as Cobb tries to lose the thugs. As he makes a final push for escape, Cobb gets stuck between two narrow walls. He manages to push through the gap and runs into Saito who picks him up and ends the chase. Thrilling, exciting and a great score to accompany it, the Mombasa chase scene is a highlight of Inception.
4) The Final Kick
To say the editing in the movie is good would be a massive understatement. The editing seen here is nothing short of miraculous. Near the end of the film, editor Lee Smith frantically cuts four parallel action sequences together as he constantly keeps the audience engaged and on the edge of their seats.
After Mal stabs Cobb, Ariadne delivers the first kick by pushing Fischer off the building. The film then starts to furiously cuts between levels. We see Fischer approaching his fathers room, Arthur getting ready to deliver his kick, Eames setting up for his and all of this is going on while the van is still in mid air falling. Then all of the sudden everything happens. The kicks occur and our heroes move through the various levels as the cuts become quicker and quicker. We’re taken from level to level as our minds desperately try to keep up with what’s going on.
It may be a bit overwhelming and almost too much to handle at first, but it is enthralling and will definitely hold your attention. The final sequence is an in your face barrage of relentless suspense that will have you holding onto the edge of your seat.
5) The Rules Of The Dream World
The scene in which Cobb takes Ariadne into her first shared dreaming experience is the first time we as the audience really get a sense of what Nolan has created. In her first shared dreaming experience, Ariadne is introduced to the dream world and is given a quick rundown of how it works. It is at this point that the audience starts to realize what they are in for and just how exciting it all is. The moment where we see one city block fold on top of another is absolutely mesmerizing and the visual effects in this scene are superb.
As Cobb explains how things work in the dream world, we are instantly intrigued. We are pulled into this sci-fi world that Nolan has developed and we are instantly engaged and eager to see where it will take us. It’s a fundamental scene of the movie and a very interesting one to watch.
So there you have it, five fantastic scenes from Inception.
What were your favorite scenes in Inception?
Check out our review of the film here and our guide to understanding it here.