As a warning: this post contains minor spoilers including brief synopsis of the major plot and characters!
 » Dom Cobb – The Extractor «
Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Dom Cobb, a master in the art of extraction. He has achieved a level of expertise that has made him very well known in the underground black market of individuals who are able to infiltrate people’s minds and extract information. At the beginning of the film we learn that Cobb is the best extractor in the game and is hired by corporations to steal secrets they would otherwise never have access to. But his rare skills have also resulted in him being a wanted fugitive who can never go home. From the start, we know he is a man with a past that makes it impossible for him to go back to America. But his kids are there and that motivates him more than anything else. He’s willing to take any risk in his work if it means he can get home to what he loves most.
 » Arthur – The Point Man «
Cobb’s longtime and most trusted colleague is Arthur, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. While Cobb is the master planner, Arthur takes care of the details. He is the organized one, the one making sure everything is in its right place and the one saying, »Okay, you have your vision; now I’m going to figure out how to make all the nuts and bolts work so you can do your thing.« But as fastidious and professional as he is, Arthur didn’t want to apply his organizational skills to being a lawyer or doctor or any of the things he could have been because sharing dreams is fascinating. The technology of dream sharing is something that has inspired him since he first heard about it so, ultimately, it’s not just a job for him and it’s not the money he’s doing it for.
 » Ariadne – The Architect «
To manufacture the world of the dream, one of the most vital members of the team is the architect. Ellen Page portrays Ariadne, a brilliant student of architecture, who is approached by Cobb for a job that isn’t necessarily legal. But she is propelled by an intellectual curiosity that makes her unable to pull herself away from the unique opportunity to design and build places that could not exist in reality. When Cobb brings Ariadne into his world, she immediately displays a natural ability to think outside the box and broaden her mind enough to facilitate what he’s trying to accomplish. She ends up becoming even more involved in the job as she discovers what’s really going on with Cobb and learns about things he can’t control. But, despite the fears that arise, she wants to try and help him in order for the team to succeed.
 » Eames – The Forger «
Unlike Ariadne, Eames is an old hand at dream sharing and has some history with Cobb, whether as allies or possibly even competitors. Tom Hardy plays the role of Eames, who possesses surprising skills as a forger…and not just on paper. In the dream world, Eames can project the image of anyone, so he’s actually forging an identity in a physical manifestation and can convince another person that he’s whomever the team needs him to be in order to aid their deception. There is a fun dynamic between him and Arthur because they have a rivalry that dates back before the story begins. But at the same time, they also have a grudging admiration, even if they would never admit it.
» Mal – The Shade «
Mal, played by Marion Cotillard, is the love of Cobb’s life, the essence of the femme fatale and a tricky one to describe because she is a mix of so many things. Find out yourself what her character is like.
 » Saito – The Tourist «
Ken Watanabe portrays the role of Saito, a rich and powerful business magnate, who offers Cobb a very special job with a promise of payment more valuable than money. Simply put, if Cobb can give Saito what he wants, Saito will get Cobb home. There is only one condition: Saito wants to accompany Cobb’s team on the job to be sure he gets what he’s paying for. He is called »the tourist« because he has no expertise, but uses his financial influence to join the group. At first, it’s only a business relationship, but as the story continues, Saito and Cobb develop an understanding and a respect.
» Yusuf - The Chemist «
One of the keys to carrying out Cobb’s operation is the use of a drug compound that enables multiple people to share different dream states. Dileep Rao appears as a chemist named Yusuf whom is described as an avant-garde pharmacologist, who is a resource for people, like Cobb, who want to do this work unsupervised, unregistered and unapproved of by anyone. Yusuf obviously has a monetary interest in helping Cobb, but he is also motivated by a burning curiosity. He has been experimenting with this stuff for so long and now he wants to see what it’s like.
 » Robert Fischer – The Mark «
The target of Saito’s business proposition is Robert Fischer, played by Cillian Murphy, who is about to inherit control of his dying father’s multibillion-dollar empire. Despite his vast wealth, Robert is riddled with all sorts of insecurities, as one might expect of someone who has lived his entire life in the shadow of a hugely powerful individual. It doesn’t help that he has a very strained relationship with his father.
Completing the main cast of »Inception« is a trio of veteran actors who each play something of a paternal role to two of the characters. Pete Postlethwaite is seen as Robert’s dying father, Maurice Fischer, while Tom Berenger takes on the part of Peter Browning, who is Maurice’s longtime legal counsel, as well as Robert’s godfather. Michael Caine appears as Cobb’s father-in-law, Miles, a professor who taught Cobb about dream sharing and played a pivotal role in the younger man’s life. Cobb ended up going against his advice and Miles doesn’t necessarily approve of what he’s done with that knowledge. But he still cares and worries about him all the time and eventually introduces Cobb to his most promising student, Ariadne, because he wants to help him come home.
While you are here, be sure to visit the gallery and view the brand new movie stills I found today.
» Inception - Movie Stills (MQ) «
  
  
  
© Warner Bros. Pictures / Syncopy Films / Legendary Pictures. All rights reserved.
Stay tuned for some new TV Spots (one of them is 4 minutes long!) which recently aired during the commercial breaks of »Good morning America« on ABC, the »Spike TV Guys Choice Awards«, »Last Comic Standing« on NBC and »It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia« on Comedy Central.
» Update - 06/22/2010 @ 10:50 PM GMT«
A new character featurette has been released over at MSN UK. It is two minutes long and features more new footage and dialog than anything we’ve seen since the third trailer came out. But those avoiding spoilers shouldn’t be too concerned. The video, like its title says, is more focused on introducing the film's main characters than revealing any new plot information. So enjoy and mind that »this summer, your mind is the scene of the crime!« ;-)
» Inception - Character Featurette «
Watch video | Download
(Format: AVI | Codec: XviD | Duration: 2:01 min | Resolution: 640x272 | Size: 17,1 MB)
© Warner Bros. Pictures / Syncopy Films / Legendary Pictures / MSN UK. All rights reserved.
Andie Taylor from Moviefone asked me to inform you that Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen will be teaming up for an episode of their Unscripted interview series, which means they'll be asking each other fan questions and, hopefully, revealing a little more insight into the mysteries of »Inception«. You can submit your question(s) here until June 24 at Noon ET.
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