History Film / Inception

** When Cobb looks at Fischer's passport (after Eames pickpockets it on the plane), pausing will reveal that Fischer's full name is Robert Michael Fischer, his date of birth is September 17, 1975, he was born in Sydney, and the respective date of issue/expiry dates are August 9, 2005 and August 9, 2015 respectively.

* TheWalrusWasPaul: Creator/ChristopherNolan provides enough conflicting evidence to keep everyone arguing over the ending (or the whole film); anyone looking for a theory that satisfactorily addresses every point is going to have a rough go.

* CoolGun: Highlights include Eames Milkor MGL grenade launcher, Arthur's FN SCAR assault rifle, as well as Cobb's suppressed Beretta [=PX4=] Storm handgun and custom suppressed Blaser R93 Precision sniper rifle (done up in white camouflage, no less).

* AirVentPassageway: {{Exaggerated}}. In the final maze, there were air vents large enough for a full-grown man to stand upright. [[{{Justified}} Makes sense in the dream]]; they were only there because Eames deliberately had Ariadne install them.

* MassiveMultiplayerScam: The twist is that the whole plot happens inside a dream world, and multiple times, at that, in order to become more convincing.

* PreviewsPulse: The most famous! [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hP9D6kZseM Its trailer featured a distinctive sound]] that [[MemeticMutation quickly became]] [[https://inception.davepedu.com/ memetic]].

*** Dom means "home" in Polish.

* FreezeFrameBonus: When Cobb looks at Fischer's passport (after Eames pickpockets it on the plane), pausing will reveal that Fischer's full name is Robert Michael Fischer, his date of birth is September 17, 1975, he was born in Sydney, and the respective date of issue/expiry dates are August 9, 2005 and August 9, 2015 respectively.

* TransformationDiscretionShot: Eames always demonstrates his shapeshifting powers via cutaways; in the first level of the dream heist, he's seen preparing to impersonate Christopher Browning in front of a dressing room mirror, with his reflections appearing identical to Browning in cuts, until at last, Eames turns around and is suddenly Browning in the next cut. In the next level, an attractive blonde woman flirtatiously approaches Saito in an elevator... only for a cut to [[TheMirrorShowsYourTrueSelf the mirrored walls behind her to reveal Eames]] among the multiple reflections of the woman; cut back to Saito irritably pushing a smirking Eames away.

''Inception'' is a 2010 science fiction action thriller film written and directed by Creator/ChristopherNolan. It works like a "reverse-[[TheCaper heist]] film" (instead of taking something from the target, the main character's team must leave something behind), and features an AllStarCast consisting of Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio, Creator/JosephGordonLevitt, Creator/ElliotPage, Creator/TomHardy, Creator/MarionCotillard, Creator/CillianMurphy, Creator/MichaelCaine and Creator/KenWatanabe.

* BizzareDreamRationalization: PlayedForDrama. Main character Dom Cobb's wife Mal is revealed to have killed herself this way, by accident. When experimenting with "dream-sharing", the two entered a state known as "Limbo", where they could warp and manipulate their subconscious into impossible scenarios, also experiencing subjective time at [[YearInsideHourOutside an extremely dilated pace]]. Mal is unable to think rationally after the incident, so Cobb surreptitiously shares a dream with her one more time and implants an idea that her mind is not experiencing reality properly. Unfortunately, this has the opposite effect: Mal thinks that one more "kick" (a method of awakening a dream-sharing individual) will finally bring herself into true reality, but, as she is already awake, she does not realize that it will actually kill her. To Cobb's horror, he watches as she jumps out of her high-story apartment window to her death.

* NoPronunciationGuide: Early on, people were pronouncing Saito's name as ''Say''-toe as opposed to ''Sigh''-toe. This changed later in the film. However, Arthur still messes it up in every line, putting this into SpellMyNameWithAnS territory.

* AluminiumChristmasTrees: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwdRD3AZBfc A top actually CAN spin for a ''really'' long time, depending on the design]].

* RareGuns: Being in a dream world where everything is possible, Arthur has no problem whipping out a SCAR-L, which in real life costs better than $2500, roughly $4000 with the scope, and is hard to find even if you can afford it. And then Eames upstages him with the revolving grenade launcher.

* MortalWoundReveal: After the shootout/car chase in the first level, it's revealed that the only character who didn't escape unscathed was [[spoiler: Saito]].
* MountaintopHealthcare: The third level of Robert Fischer's dream is a heavily-guarded hospital complex atop a snowy mountain, created by the heist team to get him to think about his recently-deceased father. The goal of this last mission is to escort Fischer to the heart of the complex and allow him to discover what lies behind the vault doors: [[spoiler: a recreation of Maurice Fischer on his deathbed, exactly as Robert last saw him; it's here that the team are finally able to plant the idea they need.]] It's also a homage to ''Film/OnHerMajestysSecretService.''

** [[spoiler: Saito promises Cobb that, even if he succumbs to his wounds, he will uphold his end of the agreement.]] Cobb grimly answers that if he falls into limbo for too long he won't remember that promise, or any of his waking life. [[spoiler: He's right. When Cobb descends to limbo himself, Saito appears as a wizened old man who barely remembers him. He's not too far gone though and, like Cobb, Saito recovers after waking.]]
** Cobb and Mal don't seem to be profoundly affected after they spend [[spoiler: a lifetime together in limbo. It later becomes clear how deeply they, or at least Mal, were changed.]]

-->'''Cobb''': You're on, you've got an hour.\\
'''Eames''': I was supposed to have all night to crack this!\\
'''Cobb''': [[spoiler: And Saito wasn't supposed to be shot in the chest.]]

--> '''Arthur:''' But you'd have to buy out the entire cabin [of a 747]. And the first-class flight attendant...\\

** Leonardo [=DiCaprio=] is also haunted by [[spoiler: causing his wife's death]] in ''Film/ShutterIsland'', released around the same time.

** Cobb's wedding ring. It's one of the biggest hints that [[spoiler: the ending is real.]]

* ConvenientlyTimedAttackFromBehind: When Mal tries to attack Cobb with a knife in the last level, [[spoiler: Ariadne shoots her from behind him.]]

* DreamApocalypse: There are two or three variations: To a lesser extent, the projections who attack any foreign entity in the dream when the host starts to realize he's dreaming; played much straighter, however, is [[spoiler: Cobb's projection of Mal, particularly at the end within limbo]] and inverted with [[spoiler: the real Mal, who was convinced that what Cobb thinks is the real world is a dream, and that she needed to die to return to "reality."]]

''Inception'' is a 2010 science-fiction thriller from director Creator/ChristopherNolan. It works like a "reverse-[[TheCaper heist]] film": instead of taking something from the target, the main character's team must leave something behind. It features an AllStarCast consisting of Creator/LeonardoDiCaprio, Creator/JosephGordonLevitt, Creator/ElliotPage, Creator/TomHardy, Creator/MarionCotillard, Creator/CillianMurphy, Creator/MichaelCaine and Creator/KenWatanabe.