According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, a tenet is a principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be true, especially : one held in common by members of an organization, movement, or profession. It’s also a palindrome, a word that is the same both backwards and forwards, like racecar, mom, or even detartrated, which is a chemical term meaning to remove tartrates. It's an aptly chosen word for the title of this movie as the promotional poster evinces.
This is probably one of my favorite Nolan films because it’s his first film where a non-white actor plays a central role to the film. John David Washington, who plays the aptly named role of the Protagonist, is of course Black and his character brings a different dimension to this Nolan film than Inception, Dunkirk, or Interstellar all brought. Nolan’s screenplay is wise to utilize its Protagonist’s abilities/appearance, instead of hiding from it which is something that major Hollywood blockbusters have done before. John Boyega has been critical of Disney/Star Wars brass for their double talk/action in this regard in the past. There’s a great scene as the film is developing the Protagonist character where Washington’s acting prowess and impeccable delivery coalesce with Nolan’s intuitive script and provide some laughs that split up the rapid fire action sequences.
Criticism of the film has substantially fallen on the notion that the audience is subjected to a storyline of which the film hasn't given them enough of a reason to care about. Without giving away too much, although personally I may agree, the film's innate ability to chug along at a breakneck pace and its other qualities will likely make audiences forgot about this.
