Every Christopher Nolan Movie Ranked, Including Oppenheimer
07/23/2023 10:08 pm EDT
12: Following (1998)
Nolan's feature debut, Following is the story of a man who follows strangers around London and finds himself drawn into a criminal underworld when he gets a little too close. Written, produced, edited and directed by the filmmaker on the absolute barest of budgets — the film cost a mere $7000 to make — it's obviously not as sophisticated as his later work, but certainly gives a taste of the kind of storytelling Nolan will eventually become known for. It's not a bad movie by any stretch, but it is certainly a weird one and suffers a bit from a situation where the buildup of the mystery is better than its resolution which lands it at the bottom of the list.
11. Insomnia (2002)
The only film directed by Nolan that he did not write or co-write and in some respects, that shows. A remake of the 1997 Norwegian thriller of the same name, Insomnia stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank and follows two Los Angeles homicide detectives who are investigating the murder of a teen girl in Alaska. While the film isn't truly a "Nolan" film in respect to the story, the filmmaker pulls an interesting performance from Pacino as well as a strong one from Williams. Like Following, it certainly gives viewers a taste of what Nolan is capable of — which is interesting as it technically comes after Nolan's film, Memento which ranks higher on this list — but doesn't quite gel the way his later work does.
10. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Considering that Nolan made three Batman movies, one of them would have to rank lowest of the trio and well, as it turns out The Dark Knight Rises is the weakest of the three and not exactly one of Nolan's best films, either — though when it comes to a "not one of Nolan's best" that certainly doesn't mean it's bad by any stretch. The real issue with The Dark Knight Rises isn't so much with the film itself but with the fact that it had to follow The Dark Knight, which was a film that not only raised the bar on what Nolan can do as a filmmaker but on superhero films on the whole. Not exactly helping the situation is that, while Batman stories naturally l end themselves to gravitating towards darkness, The Dark Knight Rises tends to be very dark even in Batman terms. While there's a good bit of complexity with the characters, things remain pretty mired in darkness throughout which makes it a little dour and lacking, particularly as the conclusion of a larger story.
9. Tenet (2020)
It pains me to put Tenet in the number 9 slot because generally because it is a personal favorite, but it's also a film that's not without flaw. In some respects, consider this a grown up Following in the sense that it's Nolan at his most ambitious and experimental, taking on a twisty, time-travelling, time-bending story that attempts to push the limits of storytelling and filmmaking, but gets a little tripped up on its mechanics, leading to a situation where the buildup of the mystery is better than the payoff. The film also suffers from bad timing: it was released during the COVID-19 pandemic and in theaters before moviegoers were really ready to go back. Still, Nolan's affinity for practical effects is on full display here and crashing a 747 into a building remains a stunning thing to see on film.
8. Batman Begins (2005)
Nolan's first Batman film clocks in at number 8 because it's simply a solid film. Well-written, well-acted, and well put together, it feels like a solid comic book movie across the board. And that's why it's just the middle of things when compared to the rest of Nolan's filmography. Not as groundbreaking as The Dark Knight, and featuring just whispers of Nolan's more authentic, signature style, the film really just comes off as a very well-made and well-polished crowd pleaser which is a great way to elevate a Batman movie but makes for a just okay Nolan film. What really sets this apart from say, The Dark Knight Rises or puts it above some of the other films in Nolan's history is that you get the sense even while watching it that Batman Begins is a building block. You know this is building to something epic at just the right time.
7. Interstellar (2014)
Like Tenet, Interstellar is a complicated movie that takes on a pretty divisive and complicated subject matter — in this case, it's space travel and mankind's quest for survival. Set in a near future where humanity's time on Earth is running out due to ecological catastrophe, Interstellar is a sci-fi thriller that takes its hero to the stars. What makes this film rate so high on this list is that even though — like Tenet — some of the science of it all comes apart near the end — Nolan takes some big swings about the nature of humanity, love, sacrifice, and hope all while pairing it these intimate, almost small-scale moments with truly grandiose visuals. The juxtaposition is incredible and again, while the film doesn't quite stick the landing, it leaves enough with viewers to revisit over and over. It's a beautiful film that deserves another look and a bit more respect.
6. The Prestige (2006)
A complex tale of two men (played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) obsessed with magic to the point of going to some pretty dark places because of it, The Prestige is, at times, a grim, grim film that is part showstopper, part Victorian thriller, part meditation on illusion. What makes The Prestige one of Nolan's better films is how he structures it almost as an illusion itself. The film functions almost like a puzzle for the audience to piece together and solve, something that rewards multiple viewings in a way that is like nothing else in his filmography while never losing sight of the complex human story he's telling. This film also has one of the better scores of all of Nolan's film's which simply enhances the entire experience.
5. Memento (2000)
It's hard to not think of Nolan and not instantly go to Memento. A masterpiece in terms of showing what the filmmaker can do on a small scale and still tell a massive story, the film stars Guy Pearce as a man with short term memory loss who is trying to find his wife's killer. What makes this film so unique and interesting is that it's also a story told backward so we start that end and work back to the beginning, something that sets the viewer in the same bit of confusion as the protagonist all throughout the film. This sort of storytelling truly drives home how the protagonist feels and puts the viewer into the story in a really unique way, which is only aided by some fantastic performances. It's also a case where the mystery and the resolution both deliver and devastatingly so.
4. Dunkirk (2017)
As we head into the final four, it starts to get a little complicated ranking these films because they are all truly incredible works and, to some extent, any of them could fit any of these final four slots. Dunkirk comes in at number four for me personally because it's a war film which generally isn't my favorite, but personal preference aside, the (even with its historical inaccuracies) is truly an achievement. Nolan manages to capture in 106 minutes of runtime the hopelessness and desperation of war without over reliance on gore while somehow also never shying away from the horror of it all. He keeps things moving at an intense pace, but never rushes and still gives the film enormous scope and stunning scale that is at times more about feeling than experience. it is at times a little too clean in that respect — the death's don't necessarily have the same gravity as in some other World War II films — but it's a haunting achievement just the same.
3. Inception (2010)
It's almost a shame that Tenet stumbled as much as it did because Nolan can pull off complex, high concept sci-fi; he proved as much with Inception. A film that is, in its absolute most boiled down form, about reality and dreams, Inception excels because Nolan manages to balance the complexity of his idea with depth of character. The filmmaker pulls from Leonardo DiCaprio a rich, layered performance as Dom Cobb that might be one of the actor's most nuanced of his career while also giving viewers everything and the kitchen sink in terms: action, adventure, car chases, shoot outs, twists, and an enduring mystery about the film's ending. For many, given that this film came right after the incredible The Dark Knight, Inception was something of an "introduction" to Nolan and it delivers on everything the filmmaker is good at, making it easily one of his best.
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
Arguably the greatest comic book movie ever made, The Dark Knight answers the question of what happens when you take a superhero movie and make it art. Nolan delivered with The Dark Knight that managed to transcend the comic book genre entirely and instead felt more like a crime drama reminiscent of the 1970s that just so happened to have a man dressed like a bat in it. Nolan clearly built on the framework of Batman Begins where he introduced a lot of concepts and then just asked viewers to hold on for the ride, elevating everything else. The action, the stakes, even the performances all went to the next level with a film that was simultaneously grand scale and deeply personal that offered not only a story worthy of heroes and villains, but one that offered some bigger questions about real world society as well. There's been nothing quite like it since.
1. Oppenheimer
Is it maybe a little wild to put Nolan's latest film as his best? Perhaps, but Oppenheimer is a film that feels like we're stepping into a new age of the filmmaker's work and that nothing he's made before this film will compare to anything after it. In a sense, Oppenheimer shines because it shows how the filmmaker has learned from his previous films. He weaves multiple timelines and perspectives, untangling a complicated story of both perspective and history while also threading them back together into a rich narrative tapestry that still manages surprises despite being a story viewers already know the ending to. The film also pulls off a master of framing and visuals that simply builds on everything we've seen form films like Interstellar, Tenet, and The Dark Knight while capitalizing on the intimate scale emotions of Dunkirk and the puzzle nature of The Prestige. It's a masterpiece of filmmaking — and it will be wild to see where Nolan goes after this.
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