'Inception': Dream a Little Dream

We couldn't help but notice...Tom Hardy
Even if you've seen this 32-year-old Brit before — in Star Trek: Nemesis, say, or in 2009's Bronson (where he earned raves as the titular criminal) — you may struggle to identify him as Inception's ''forger,'' Eames. ''I'm keen on transformation,'' says Hardy. ''Very few people recognize me.'' He should enjoy the anonymity while it lasts: He's set to play the lead role in Mad Max: Fury Road. — ABV

How'd they do that?
To create mind-blowing effects, the makers of Inception used careful planning — and very little CGI. Here's how they defied physics for one scene.

Christopher Nolan's directive was clear to everyone in the cast and crew: Use CGI only as a last resort. So how did they pull off that memorable inverted-gravity fight scene in the hotel? ''We used every method known to the special-effects world,'' says special-effects supervisor Chris Corbould. Three separate sets were built on the massive Cardington soundstage in England: a 100-foot hallway that could rotate like a log up to eight times per minute; a duplicate hallway standing vertically on its end so that Joseph Gordon-Levitt could hang down inside it to appear weightless; and a hotel room that also rotated 360 degrees. Gordon-Levitt says he's used to producers asking him to work out for a role. ''It's always 'cause they want me to look bigger,'' he chuckles. ''Whereas for Inception, I had to go to the gym literally just to be able to pull this s--- off.''

The idea was to keep moviegoers as off-kilter as the characters — even costumes and hair were stiffened to look right in a topsy-turvy environment. ''The moment an audience tries to answer 'How do they do this?' '' says cinematographer Wally Pfister, ''you cut to another shot that throws those rules out the window.'' The most complex scene involved Gordon-Levitt spinning his stacked-up co-stars in zero gravity. So how'd they do that? ''I'm not gonna tell you,'' says Corbould. ''There are certain things that Chris swears me to secrecy about. Sorry about that. I've got to work with him again!'' — ABV

The Essential Christopher Nolan
Inception is hardly the director's first head-trip. Each of his films has offered a new look at the human mind.

Memento (2001)
Nolan says he seeks to capture the imagination by ''trying to transcend the tyranny'' of linear narrative. That ambition was evident with his breakthrough film, a neo-noir told in reverse about a man who can't make short-term memories. Global gross: $40 million.

Insomnia (2002)
Nolan eased up on the complexity (slightly) with his first studio flick, a much-praised remake of a 1997 Norwegian thriller. Al Pacino stars as a flawed detective whose guilt-induced sleeplessness messes with his mind. Global gross: $114 million.

The Prestige (2006)
The twisty fantasy-novel adaptation about stage magicians (Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman) battling over acclaim and a beautiful assistant (Scarlett Johansson) generated solid reviews but did little box office magic. Global gross: $110 million.

Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The first film was a success, but the second was a phenomenon, an allegory about vigilante justice and morality enlivened by great performances, none better than Heath Ledger's Joker. Batman Begins' global gross: $373 million. The Dark Knight: $1 billion. — JJ