Well known for his mind-bending sci-fi blockbusters, Christopher Nolan has become one of the most notable names in cinema. From world-saving interstellar space missions to grounded war epics, he is no stranger to big ideas and concepts. But perhaps the biggest of them all came in 2010, Inception. Following a team lead by Leonardo DiCaprio's Cobb, as they attempt to take down an empire using the power of dreams, Nolan revolutionized the heist genre.
Similarly, in 2013, French director Louis Leterrier made his own mark on the genre, but rather than using dream technology, the film follows a group of magicians as they pull of the world's greatest ever trick in Now You See Me. Both films, in their own way, completely changed the game for cinema, but the question remains: is dream technology more powerful than pure magic?
Inception: You mean a dream within a dream?
The backbone of Nolan's third-highest-grossing masterpiece is the famous dream technology. Confined to stylish briefcases, the machine enables Cobb to lead his team into Fischer's (Cillian Murphy) dreams. By planting ideas, the team is able to influence decisions, steal whatever they please, and most impressively, take down an entire business empire.
What's even more impressive is they can travel into more than just one dream. A dream within a dream within a dream. This process is actually called Inception and is vital in the film's incredible finale. Is this scientifically possible? Probably not, but in Nolan's universe, it's a very impressive piece of technology.
Now You See Me: What is magic?
Whilst Cobb and his team may have access to dream technology, the Four Horsemen have an equally impressive skill up their sleeves: magic. The box-office hit followed a group of magicians as they pull off a series of daring heists and tricks that get the attention of the FBI as well as the crowd.
From master illusions to complex hypnosis, the team is capable of tricking almost anybody, even a highly secured vault in a Czech Republican bank in Paris. While the team in Inception is capable of planning detailed heists inside a subject's mind, the Four Horsemen have a more practical whilst as effective method by using their immense magic skills.
Inception: Dom Cobb
A brilliant architect, an experienced extractor, and a professional thief from people's minds, Dominick (or Dom) Cobb is one of the most skilled thieves in the entire business. After meeting his wife Mal, Cobb began exploring the ideas of dreams extensively. Eventually after spending decades in the dream world Limbo, and after the death of his wife, Cobb decided to enter the market of heists and became an experienced mind extractor.
Whilst an extremely talented leader of the team, Cobb also has some significant downsides. The most obvious being his inability to stop his wife from interfering with his dreams. He also repeatedly kept secrets from the rest of the team, both of which are potentially quite damaging.
Now You See Me: Dylan Rhodes
While it takes us the full two hours to uncover his identity, FBI agent Dylan Rhodes, played by Mark Ruffalo, is revealed as the fifth member of the Horsemen in the plot-twist-filled finale. Son of the famous magician Lionel Shrike, Rhodes was assigned the case to stop the Four Horsemen along with a partner from the French Interpol.
After it's revealed that he is in fact part of the operation, it also is shown that he is in fact a member of The Eye, an ancient and powerful organization for the most skilled magicians in the world. So while Cobb is a skilled architect and a genius when it comes to understanding dreams, Rhodes has mastered almost all forms of magic and managed to trick not only the audience but the other magicians.
Inception: Teamwork makes the Dreamwork
A popular theory about the making of Inception focuses on Nolan's inspiration for his complex heist team. The theory suggests he based the team on a typical movie crew. Cobb acts as the screenwriter and director, Tom Hardy's Eames plays the acting star, Fischer resembles the audience, and Arthur portrays the producer.
The team members clearly complement each other well, and that's why they are so successful in their heists. As mentioned before, Cobb is a great leader, Eames enables them to perform the perfect act, Ariadne (played by Elliot Page) helps build the detailed dream world around them, and most importantly, Arthur glues everything together. It's a great example of teamwork.
Now You See Me: These guys, they're tricky
Unlike in Inception, the Four Horsemen don't resemble a film crew, but they also have equally impressive team chemistry. Brought together by the great Dylan Rhodes, the Horsemen became an unstoppable group when working together. As they became more accustomed to each other, we began to see just how powerful the magicians are.
One scene, in particular, is the card throwing heist scene where the horsemen successfully steal a high-tech chip from businessman Walter, played by Daniel Radcliffe. The scene shows us all of their insane card throwing skills and most importantly highlights the strength of their planning and cooperation.
Inception: The Dream World
One of the main advantages for Cobb and his team is their access to the dream world. Whilst most movie heist teams have to think practically about breaking into a secure location, Inception allows the team to focus on controlling the minds of their suspects and influencing their decisions. Whilst this can seem more intricate and complicated, seeing as the team has studied the dream world for years, this is to their advantage.
Navigating the dream world is a challenge, but when done right, they can fully exploit most subjects with ease. As Cobb said "An idea is like a virus", and it's these powerful ideas that make the team incredibly effective when it comes to heists.
Now You See Me: The Real World
While the Four Horsemen don't have access to highly advanced technology, they also don't rely on typical heist techniques. The power of magic is also an equally impressive spin on the heist genre. Throughout both films, the team manages to pull off some spectacular illusions and tricks which few professional thieves could even dream about doing.
From staging a bank robbery using hypnosis to faking an entire plane flight, the Four Horsemen are brilliant at using their wits and magic to steal whatever they please. Through intricate planning and detailed illusions, they have no shortage of tricks up their sleeve.
Inception: The Architecture
One particular element of the dream technology that benefits the team the most is the stunning architecture. This also leads us to arguably the most important member of the team, Ariadne. As the main architect, she is responsible for building a complex and intricate labyrinth including the entire aesthetic and ever little detail.
Thanks, however, to the absence of physical laws, she can create mazes and closed loops using an idea called Paradoxical architecture. An example of this was seen with Arthur as he showed viewers the famous endless staircase, also known as the Penrose Stairs. With the power to essentially break the laws of physics, it's fair to say Cobb and his team were almost unstoppable.
Winner: Inception
While one team was made up of a hypnotist, an illusionist, an escapist, and a sleight of hand master, and led by FBI agent Dylan Rhodes himself, who turned out to be the mastermind of the entire operation, the other was based on a movie crew and filled with dream world experts and spies, both teams are incredibly efficient and successful when it comes to heists.
The team in Now You See Me are very skilled magicians, but purely thanks to their access to another reality, and the endless possibilities they have with that world, the team in Inception would narrowly beat the Four Horsemen.