Tenet

Tom Grieve, Cinema Editor

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Tenet

26 August-8 October 2020

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Tenet - Image courtesy of Warner Brothers
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Christopher Nolan is back with another byzantine science fiction film as he attempts to revive the theatrical experience this summer. The writer-director behind Memento, Inception, Interstellar and The Dark Knight-trilogy has built a successful career by melding big ideas to blockbuster spectacle, and his latest film is amongst his most ambitious yet. Tenet stars John David Washington (BlackKklansman) as the Protagonist tasked with saving the world with the help of Robert Pattinson’s dapper handler.

This being a Christopher Nolan film, things are far from straight forward. We open at the opera in Kiev, where Washington’s character joins a CIA operation to end a siege and retrieve some radioactive material. Things go awry, but rather than give up his colleagues, our protagonist chooses to ingest what he believes is a suicide pill — an act that confirms his loyalty and leads to his induction into a team of agents and military men dedicated to saving the world.

So far, so simple. That is until he is taken to a research lab where Clémence Poésy’s scientist introduces him to the concept of an inverted bullet — literally a bullet that travels backwards in time — along with the “detritus of a future war.” It is soon apparent that bullets are not the only objects that can be inverted. “As I understand it we are trying to prevent WWIII.” he’s told. Nuclear holocaust? “No, something worse.”

Tenet

If that sounds a little bleak at the moment, then don’t worry; the apocalyptic scenario that Washington’s protagonist is tasked with preventing is far removed from current headlines. It involves time-bending espionage and the gathering of classified materials held by world superpowers, all orchestrated by vicious Russian billionaire and arms dealer, Andrei Sator — Kenneth Branagh, with an accent. Handily, help comes courtesy of Andrei’s alienated wife, Kat (a wonderful Elizabeth Debicki), an art dealer held hostage by the existence of a fake Goya drawing and her dedication to her young son.

Nolan has been repeatedly touted as a future James Bond director and it is easy to see why. Tenet takes us to gourmet London restaurants, bungee jumping up buildings in India, to an Oslo freeport and a yacht moored off the Amalfi Coast. The eye-popping globe-trotting is accompanied by slick tailoring — Brooks Brothers won’t do, explains Michael Caine’s intelligence agent — and slicker action. Shoot outs, fist fights and car chases are bested only by a heist that hinges upon literally driving an aeroplane into a building.

As Tenet escalates its temporal technology there is room for mind-bending set pieces and choreography that quite simply has not been attempted on screen before.

But there is a sense that Nolan would only be limited by Bond. As Tenet escalates its temporal technology there is room for mind-bending set pieces and choreography that quite simply has not been attempted on screen before. It’s ambitious stuff, and thrilling on a moment to moment basis, but it can feel mechanical, as if it has all been worked out on a blackboard. There’s little grace amongst the grit, and while the films stock characters are somewhat shaded in by the superior performers, it is hard to locate any real feeling as exposition follows action follows exposition.

This is undoubtedly a Christopher Nolan film though, and a pretty good one too. The filmmaker is renowned for his prevailing obsessions with time and structure, and ardent fans will surely delight in deconstructing the palindromic plotting over multiple viewings. For the rest of us, there’s plenty to marvel at. The audacious action makes this worth a trip to the cinema alone, should you feel comfortable doing so, while there are myriad pleasures to be found in the lush location work and solid movie star turns from central trio Washington, Pattinson and Debicki.

Where to go near Tenet

Hern Food
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Indie Makers
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Indie Makers, located in Leads’ corn exchange, trades in art and gifts from independent makers across the UK.

Plant Point
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Plant Point

Plant Point is designed to help you bring the jungle into your urban or suburban space. The home of beautiful plants in Leeds.

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Eat Your Greens

Eat Your Greens is a vibrant, organic restaurant bringing a hint of European flair to the city’s plant-based dining scene.

Sela opened in 2004 with an idea to provide quality imported beers from around the world, fun cocktails to compliment the beer selections and a stage for the region’s finest and most talented musicians to play on.Over ten years later, we’re still all about the beer, cocktails, live music and pizza!We carry over a selection of over thirty different beers spanning the globe from Pickering with The Great Yorkshire Brewery’s Yorkshire Blackout, to New York with a selection from Brooklyn Brewery, and Belgium with longtime Sela favourite, Vedett.Our cocktails change regularly too. Our best-sellers are joined by fun, new offerings and our pizza menu is regarded as one of the best the city of Leeds has to offer.As for the live music, Sela has had not only the great and the good from the region. Local funksters, The New Mastersounds are regular visitors and we stage the amazing Mojah Reggae Band for their weekly Wednesday residency.  Our other long running programming incl
Leeds
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Sela Bar & Pizzeria

Sela Bar is a cosy Leeds basement spot with live music, great drinks, and a cool, laid-back, atmospheric vibe.

Leeds Beckett SU
Leeds
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Leeds Beckett Student Union

Leeds Beckett Student Union hosts big-name artists and supports students through events, live music, and a vibrant campus venue.

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There's ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and entertainment facilities, making for a great evening out!

Watch the latest film releases and enjoy the industry-leading Sony 4K Digital screens, boasting spectacular picture quality, along with enhanced audio quality courtesy of Dolby 'Profound Sound'. Stepped SuperVue seating means you will never miss a second of the action while VIP seating guarantees you an extra touch of luxury whenever you want to upgrade.

Three of the nine screens showcase the newest 3D releases while Vue Classical brings the latest stage sensations to the big screen, and parents can save as they go with Family Tickets and Kids AM screenings offering great value for money.
Leeds
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Vue Cinema – Leeds Kirkstall Road

Located on Cardigan Fields Leisure Park, Vue Leeds Kirkstall is a nine screen cinema with almost 2000 seats. There’s ample parking and the cinema is surrounded by various restaurants and

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Empire Café

Empire Café is located in Leeds’ ‘home of day dining’- Fish street!

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Leeds
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Phranakhon

Phranakhon Thai Tapas is a revolutionised Thai dining restaurant with a combination of European indulgence and authentic Thai tastes.

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Leeds
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Wen’s

Wen’s is a family owned Chinese restaurant specialising in authentic, home cooked cuisine.

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