Tenet (2020)

Tenet (2020) is a high-concept, globe-trotting spy thriller from Christopher Nolan that asks you to follow with your full attention. You meet an unnamed CIA operative, the Protagonist (John David Washington), who is pulled into a secret organization called Tenet and taught to combat a threat that literally moves backward through time. The central antagonist is Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), a ruthless Russian oligarch whose access to future technology could trigger global annihilation; the Protagonist pairs with the enigmatic Neil (Robert Pattinson) and Sator’s trapped wife Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) as clues lead through a series of escalating set pieces. Watching Tenet is an immersive, sometimes disorienting experience: expect dense, puzzle-like plotting, non-linear action built around the mind-bending concept of “time inversion,” and intense, practical stunts that play with forward and reversed motion. Visually the film is striking—Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography captures sprawling locations and kinetic action—and it’s paired with a booming, tension-driven score that heightens every sequence. Dialogue can be clipped and plot mechanics are deliberately cryptic, so the film rewards close attention and multiple viewings. Tone-wise it’s urgent, cerebral, and often coolly austere: you’ll get breathless action, philosophical stakes about causality and consequence, and a sense that the clock is literally and figuratively running out for humanity. If you like intellectually challenging blockbusters with big ideas, practical effects, and relentless momentum, Tenet delivers a thrilling, puzzle-driven ride.

Actors: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki

Director: Christopher Nolan

Runtime: 150 min

Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller

6.3 /10 69 /100 7.3 /10 6.8 /10