Christopher Nolan has done it again. Tenet is a masterpiece… though it is very confusing. Here’s what I’ll say – when everyone is talking about the movie as they exit and want to see it again so they can put the pieces together, you have a Best Picture nominee on your hands. It was also GREAT to see a big budget picture at the movies again!!!
OK, let my try to explain this. Sometime in the future through a process called inverting, people and objects can move forward and backwards in time. This is not time travel but rather like hitting forward and rewind on your DVR. This seems like it’s a good idea unless the person who discovered it is a madman who wants to destroy all of human history.
Enter an elite operative we only know as The Protagonist. The Protagonist is played by John David Washington, Denzel’s son. He is going to be a star. As I watched him in this film I remarked that he should be the next Black Panther.
The Protagonist is assisted by someone names Neil, played by Robert Pattinson. We don’t know his true motives and intentions until the end of the film. Trust me, it’s worth waiting for. In fact, he even says, “Lying is Standard Operating Procedure.”
Kenneth Branagh plays Andrei Sator, the arms dealer and madman out to destroy humanity. Andrei also has serious anger issues. In fact, a couple of scenes with his wife Kat, played by Elizabeth Debicki, are simply disturbing.
Bottom line – Tenet is a classic. Trust me when I tell you, pay attention to EVERY scene. As we left the theatre, you could hear everyone putting different scenes together. It is like a puzzle and had a “Oh, so that’s what that meant” feel to the conversations.
The acting is superb! In addition, to what should be a Best Picture nominee, Branagh should take home Best Supporting Actor. I can’t see how anyone would beat him out for the aware. And Debicki could be a Best Actress nominee.
I only remember one use of foul language. No nudity or sexual activity. Just a smart movie. Go see this movie this weekend!
The following 17 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From Tenet The Movie:
- Leaders Make Choices And Then Their Choices Make Them – Victor, The Protagonist’s boss, said, “All I have for you is a word: Tenet. It’ll open the right doors, some of the wrong ones too.”
- Victor added, “We all believe we will run into the burning building. But until we feel the heat, you never know.”
- Barbara, who helped train The Protagonist, said, “The detritus of a coming war. Even the dead need allies.”
- Great Leaders Never Confuse Activity With Accomplishment – The Protagonist said, “I’m not the man they send to negotiate or to make deals. I am the man they send to get things done.”
- The Protagonist said to Michael Crosby, played by Michael Caine, “You British don’t have a monopoly on snobbery.” To which he replied, “Just a controlling interest.”
- Trust Is The Foundation Of Successful Relationships – Neil said, “Lying is the Standard Operational Procedure.”
- Great Leaders Have Great Attention To Detail – As Neil was investigating a secret art gallery, he paid great attention to the minutest detail. This would serve him well as he and The Protagonist attempted to rob the facility.
- The director of the art gallery said, “Our clients use us because we have no priorities other than their property.”
- There Comes Time When Bold Leadership Is Required – When it came time to crash an airplane, The Protagonist said, “Bold I’m fine with. I was afraid you’d say nuts.”
- Smart Leaders Build Sustainability Into Their Leadership – Andrei asked, “This is where our worlds collide. How would you like to die?” The Protagonist said, “Old.” To which Andrei replied, “You chose the wrong profession.”
- “One man’s probability for death is another man’s possibility for life.”
- Successful Leaders Are Curious Leaders – Priya, an arms dealer, said to The Protagonist, “You have to start looking at the world in a new way.”
- Andrei said, “You don’t negotiate with a tiger.”
- Andrei also added, “Anger scars over into despair.”
- Leaders Engage The Issue – Kat asked The Protagonist, “Do you think you are the only one capable of saving the world?” To which he replied, “No, but I am.”
- Neil said, “No one cares about the bomb that didn’t go off. Only the one that did. That’s the one (that didn’t go off) with the power to change the world.”
- Neil said, “See you in the beginning.”
Confused by the last comment? The go see Tenet and pay attention!
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