Tenet

The curtains at Kiev's opera house suddenly drew to a close as a burst of gunfire shattered the tranquility of the evening performance. The conductor lay lifeless on the stage, while the orchestra and patrons cowered in terror. Meanwhile, outside, an elite SWAT team, their faces shrouded by night, prepared to storm the venue. Their mission: to extract a compromised spy (Jefferson Hall) and retrieve a mysterious artifact, all while navigating the labyrinthine corridors of deception.

As they infiltrated the opera house, the undercover operatives unleashed a cloud of sedatives to render the unsuspecting patrons and performers immobile. Amidst the chaos, a figure known only as "The Protagonist" (John David Washington) emerged from the shadows, his eyes locked onto the spy with an air of detachment. "We live in a twilight world," he intoned, to which the spy responded with a haunting whisper: "And there are no friends at dusk." The spy's extraction complete, the team focused on disarming the explosives planted by the Ukrainian gunmen.

The Protagonist volunteered to venture down into the depths of the opera house to recover the bombs, his footsteps echoing through the dimly lit corridors. As he approached the first device, a bullet whizzed past him, only to be expertly deflected by an unknown agent sporting a crimson tag on his luggage. The agents then proceeded to redirect the explosives into the nosebleeds, where they detonated harmlessly, releasing a collective sigh of relief. However, their jubilation was short-lived, as The Protagonist found himself seized and captured.

The man awoke between two rusty train tracks, his captors binding him alongside another operative, both desperate to withstand the merciless torture aimed at extracting crucial information from them. As The Protagonist struggled to resist, he attempted to swallow a cyanide pill, only to have it pilfered by one of his tormentors. His colleague managed to retrieve their own pill, and with a swift motion, The Protagonist seized the opportunity, swallowing the capsule in a desperate bid for escape. Or so it seemed.

As reality dawned on him, The Protagonist found himself lying in a hospital bed, the effects of the pill wearing off. This was no ordinary test; the pill had been a clever ruse, designed to deceive and disorient. His colleagues, once his brothers-in-arms, now lay cold and lifeless around him. Victor (Martin Donovan), his former boss, appeared at his bedside, bearing an offer that would forever alter The Protagonist's trajectory: a mission of global consequence, one that would challenge everything he thought he knew about the world.

As The Protagonist embarks on his mission, he is introduced to enigmatic Laura (Clemence Poesy), who initiates him into the intricacies of their operation. With an empty magazine and a rock as his target, The Protagonist is presented with a paradoxical gun that defies conventional logic. Laura's explanation of entropy inversion reveals that the bullets are capable of traversing time in reverse, a phenomenon that will soon take on far-reaching consequences. As The Protagonist becomes more adept at manipulating these inverted projectiles, he begins to grasp the scope of their plan: to pinpoint the source of this technology before it falls into the wrong hands.

With his newfound understanding, The Protagonist tracks the bullets to Sanjay Singh (Denzil Smith), a man whose home becomes the focal point of his mission. Victor's guidance leads him to Neil (Robert Pattinson), a local ally who joins forces with him in their clandestine operation. Under the cover of darkness, they employ bungee cords to infiltrate Sanjay's residence, only to discover that the key player is actually Sanjay's wife, Priya (Dimple Kapadia) - an operative working for Tenet. Priya's revelation sends The Protagonist on a new trajectory: to get close to the Russian oligarch Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), who allegedly possesses the ability to communicate with the future.

In a chance encounter, The Protagonist meets Sir Michael Crosby (Michael Caine) at a restaurant, where he uncovers a rich tapestry of information about Andrei's past. Crosby, a man with his own secrets, shares tales of Andrei's origins in a Soviet "secret city" that was ravaged by a catastrophic accident, leading to its later use as an underground testing facility. The oligarch's rise to wealth and power is juxtaposed against his estrangement from his wife, Katherine Barton (Elizabeth Debicki). Crosby proposes an audacious plan: to infiltrate Andrei's circle through Kat, using as leverage a rare Goya painting that is one of two identical pieces - the other having fallen into Andrei's possession.

As The Protagonist (no actor mentioned) encounters Kat, whose son Max (Laurie Shepherd) is by her side, he's privy to the dark secrets she's been harboring. It transpires that Andrei has been wielding blackmail as a tool of manipulation, threatening to expose Kat's involvement in the fraudulent art scheme if she doesn't comply with his demands. The last vestiges of happiness for Kat date back to her time on Andrei's yacht in Vietnam, where he offered her a chance to escape - but only on condition that she sever all ties with Max forever. Kat reacted with outrage and fled with her son, leaving behind a lingering sense of unease as she observed a mysterious woman leaping from the yacht into the waves. Moments later, Andrei's henchmen arrive to escort Kat away, their presence marked by an air of menace. As The Protagonist tries to follow her, he finds himself embroiled in a fierce struggle with some of these hired guns, his determination to protect Kat and Max driving him forward.

Later, as Kat reaches out to The Protagonist, she implores him to steal the painting back from Andrei. He joins forces with Neil and Mahir (Himesh Patel), a skilled fixer, to execute a daring heist at Andrei's storage facility within Oslo Airport. Following Neil's meticulous planning and intel gathering, they devise a plan to create a diversion by crashing a cargo jet filled with gold bars into the hangar. The team puts their strategy into action, and as The Protagonist and Neil infiltrate the facility under false pretenses, the chaos unfolds around them.

Upon entering the storage room, they find themselves face-to-face with an enigmatic contraption - a glass-enclosed Turnstile, its machine-like mechanisms humming to life. As they approach, they notice bullet holes in the window that The Protagonist eerily notes are connected to an event that hasn't yet transpired. Suddenly, two identical antagonists emerge from the Turnstile's mechanical heart. One of these adversaries makes a beeline for Neil, while the other, inverted and struggling against The Protagonist's attempts to subdue him, reaches for an inverted gun that seems to catch bullets fired through the bullet holes. Just as Neil returns to assist his companion, the inverted antagonist appears to defy gravity by flying out of the loading door.

The Protagonist then meets with Priya on a boat, where she enlightens him about the Turnstile's true purpose: inverting time and serving as a testament to future innovation. She also cautions him against harming Andrei before they fully comprehend his connection to the mysterious events that have been unfolding.

As Kat is informed that the painting has been irreparably damaged, she orchestrates a meeting with Andrei, accompanied by the enigmatic Protagonist. Over a lavish dinner, the tension is palpable as Andrei's gaze lingers menacingly on the Protagonist, his suspicions fueled by whispers of their clandestine encounters. The Protagonist deftly navigates the situation, convincing Andrei to embark on a boating excursion the following morning to discuss the opera and settle scores.

Before setting out with Kat, Andrei reveals that an inexplicable intuition drove him to relocate the painting before the catastrophic event. As they converge on the Protagonist, a brief but charged discussion ensues. The atmosphere turns sinister as Kat attempts to eliminate Andrei by tampering with his life jacket, only for the Protagonist to intervene and steer the boat back in the opposite direction to effect a rescue.

Kat chastises the Protagonist for his actions, also taking umbrage at his deception regarding the painting. As they part ways, Andrei extends an olive branch, seeking repayment and requesting that the Protagonist not only refrain from exacting revenge on Kat but also assist in procuring a coveted case of plutonium that has become his fixation. He regales the group with tales of his past endeavors, including the gruesome murder of a coworker to prevent others from securing better opportunities.

As the night wears on, Andrei retires to his quarters with Kat, his malevolent intentions evident as he vows that if he cannot claim her, no one else will. The following morning, a helicopter descends, delivering a crate containing gold bars. The Protagonist observes as Andrei brutalizes another individual with a gold bar, earning the attention of Andrei's henchmen. Despite being apprehended, the Protagonist remains unfazed, refusing to betray his true identity when faced with the "twilight world" epithet.

In a surprising turn, Andrei releases the Protagonist and agrees to collaborate in procuring plutonium from Tallinn, setting the stage for further intrigue and deception.

As the stakes escalate, The Protagonist reunites with Neil (no specific actor provided) to execute a daring heist, while Kat and Andrei are locked in a fierce standoff. Their animosity boils over as Kat brandishes a gun at Andrei, only for him to overpower her and take her hostage. Meanwhile, The Protagonist and Neil trail a truck, utilizing their team's vehicles to encircle it, allowing The Protagonist to infiltrate and claim the supposed plutonium case. However, his triumph is short-lived, as he discovers the artifact is not what they expected – a shocking twist that sends their entire operation into chaos.

As tensions reach a fever pitch, Andrei's van appears on the scene, its occupant training a gun on Kat's head. In a stunning turn of events, an inverted car that had earlier seemed to crash drives by in reverse, and The Protagonist seemingly tosses the case to Andrei. He then makes a break for the other vehicle as Andrei swaps cars, allowing him to rescue Kat. The ensuing chaos is punctuated by gunfire from Andrei's men, resulting in The Protagonist's capture and transportation to a makeshift cell reminiscent of the Oslo facility.

Andrei holds Kat hostage, his grip tightening as he demands to know the plutonium's whereabouts – even resorting to inflicting a brutal wound on her abdomen. The Protagonist reluctantly reveals that the plutonium is hidden in the glove compartment of an inverted BMW, only for Andrei to depart and leave him to ponder the true nature of their mission.

As events unfold, Neil and Agent Ives (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) arrive on the scene, dispatching Andrei's henchmen with ruthless efficiency. They extract The Protagonist and Kat from harm's way, but her life hangs precariously in the balance due to the devastating bullet wound. As Kat's condition deteriorates, The Protagonist becomes increasingly suspicious of Neil's true loyalties, his paranoia fueled by the revelation that Neil has been a part of Tenet all along. This newfound distrust is further exacerbated when he discovers that Neil was lying about the artifact's location from the very beginning.

As The Protagonist navigates the complex Turnstile, he makes a daring attempt to rescue Kat by guiding her through the machine and into the previous week's timeline. Donning a respiratory mask (the inverted lungs' inability to process normal air serving as a poignant reminder of the consequences of altered realities), he enters the device alongside Neil, hurtling towards the moment of the high-stakes chase that had left him trapped in the mangled BMW. Upon realizing that his quarry was nowhere to be found, the car erupts into flames, but The Protagonist's inverted state leaves him teetering on the brink of stasis. After a harrowing recovery, he and Neil embark on a perilous journey through the Turnstile once more, this time targeting the Oslo facility in the week preceding their current reality.

As they emerge from the machine, The Protagonist reveals his true nature to Kat, only to find himself locked in a fierce battle with his inverted self. Meanwhile, Neil is shocked to discover that the individual being pursued by The Protagonist is none other than his own protagonist. As The Protagonist regains control and reverts back to his original state, Kat's health begins to stabilize.

In a subsequent meeting with Priya, The Protagonist uncovers a sinister truth: Andrei's relentless pursuit of artifacts was actually a quest to construct an Algorithm capable of inverting the world itself. This diabolical plan is said to be driven by future humans seeking to reverse the devastating effects of global warming. Priya cautions The Protagonist that he is not the sole savior of humanity, and that others share his burden of responsibility.

Undeterred, The Protagonist proposes continuing to utilize Kat as a means of infiltrating Andrei's inner circle and thwarting his plans. Priya orchestrates an encounter between the two on a ship, where Kat confides in The Protagonist about Andrei's dark secret: the ruthless leader is secretly succumbing to pancreatic cancer and seeks to exploit the Algorithm to orchestrate his own demise, thereby inverting humanity and erasing all existence in a twisted "if I can't have you" fantasy. Kat suspects that Andrei will carry out this catastrophic act on the fateful day they found themselves on their yacht in Vietnam, forever changing the course of history.

As The Protagonist and Neil (in tandem with Ives and his team) converge on the clandestine location where the Algorithm's assembly will take place, they embark on a perilous mission to set off this powerful device. Under Ives' meticulous guidance, half of the team executes a conventional approach, while the other half employs an inverted strategy to navigate the treacherous zone. Meanwhile, Kat (in a bold move) inverts herself to reprise her role on the yacht, where she thwarted Andrei's original plan by delaying his suicide attempt. As The Protagonist and Neil navigate through the heavily explosive-ridden drop zone, they face numerous obstacles, including detonations that threaten their very existence.

With Neil's assistance, The Protagonist pushes into the designated retrieval area, only to be thwarted by a formidable gate. However, thanks to the masked agent (sporting a red tag reminiscent of the operative at the opera house) who appears to take a gunshot wound from a henchman, The Protagonist is able to bypass this obstruction and retrieve the Algorithm. Following their successful operation, Kat finds herself torn between allowing Andrei's demise or intervening to deny him victory. She ultimately decides on the latter, sabotaging his plans by greasing the deck with sunscreen and water before ending his life. With a heavy heart, she then uses her surroundings to nudge his lifeless body over the railing, only to reveal that her past self had witnessed this very same sequence of events.

As The Protagonist, Neil, and Ives disassemble the Algorithm, they bring their mission to a close. Notably, Ives issues an ominous warning: unless they remain in hiding, he will be forced to eliminate them. As Neil and Ives depart, The Protagonist catches wind of the red tag hidden within Neil's bag – a subtle clue suggesting that Neil was indeed the operative who received the gunshot wound near the gate, as well as during their earlier mission at the opera house. With this revelation, Neil bids The Protagonist farewell, revealing that he had been recruited by The Protagonist in the future and that their camaraderie has reached its poignant conclusion – a friendship that lies yet unseen on The Protagonist's horizon.

As the streets of London come alive with activity, Priya and one of her henchmen discreetly surveil Kat as she makes her way to collect Max from school. However, their sinister intentions are swiftly thwarted by The Protagonist, who strikes down the gunman with calculated precision. With the situation now under his control, he takes up a seat behind Priya in her vehicle, his piercing gaze commanding her attention. In a revelation that will shatter her very existence, he reveals to her that she is merely a pawn in a much larger game - one that will ultimately lead to the founding of Tenet, an organization with far-reaching implications. As the full weight of this stunning truth settles upon Priya, The Protagonist seizes his opportunity, silencing her forever. Meanwhile, Kat departs from the scene, blissfully unaware of the deadly intrigue that has unfolded mere feet away - or the fact that she is now being watched by a figure with an intimate connection to her own destiny.