Ranking The Films Of Christopher Nolan

To celebrate tomorrow’s release of acclaimed director Christopher Nolan’s seventh full-length film, Inception, we’re going to rank each of his previous films, complete with a mini-review.  Also be sure to check out our Inception cast infographic, Inception crew infographic, Inception review and how Nolan is creating his own genre. Enjoy!

6. Insomnia (2002)

After Detective Dormer (Pacino) accidentally shoots his partner he decides that instead of admitting to his mistake, he decides to create an even bigger cluster-fuck of the situation because we need this movie to last longer. A complex yet boring game of Cat, Mouse and Mouse develops and it’s all frosted with Pacino’s character suffering from a case of insomnia throughout the investigation. It sounds stupid but its’ actually entertaining to watch Pacino drunkenly stumble around trying to solve a murder. Nolan’s third film isn’t really noir, but instead a detective/police procedural. At its best, the film plays like a good episode of Criminal Minds but most of its time is spent sulking through a mediocre crime story. This movie seems like a test that the studios gave Nolan before handing him a franchise like Batman. In this film, they gave him more money, bigger names and less creative control. They kept him in a genre that he still had a chance to succeed in but for the most part they just wanted to see if he’d play their game. This movie passed the studio’s test and serves as an essential transitional piece for Nolan’s career even if it is his weakest piece of work.

Score: 6/10

5. The Following (1998)

Our protagonist Bill is an unemployed aspiring writer who lives a solitary and boring life in (black and white) London, England. This is a standard noir setup besides the fact that Bill isn’t a private detective who recently quite the force because of a dead girlfriend. Bill is actually a loner. Luckily for us, Bill happens to have a fascination with people. Soon he begins to pick individuals out of a crowd and starts to follow them around. And wouldn’t ya know it? Even though Bill establishes rules for his little game he ends up getting whipped away in a world of gangsters, manipulation, chesty blondes, secret identities and of course murr-durr. Like most great independent directors from the 90’s, Nolan’s direction throughout the film is fueled by an in-depth knowledge of the Noir genre. Nolan’s film is a product of its influences and is a damn good debut film for those who are fans of the noir, cult, or indie film genres. It doesn’t stand up to some of his later work and the stakes aren’t as high as they could be but the potential is there and that potential blossomed into one of the most exciting directors of the previous decade.

Score: 7/10

4. The Prestige (2006)

In the end of the 19^th Century, in London, Angier (Jackman), his beloved wife and Borden (Bale) are friends and assistants of a magician. When Julia accidentally dies during a performance, Robert blames Alfred for her death and they become rivalry magicians. This fuels a lifelong competition filled with revenge, deceit and triple reverse criss-cross plot twists. This film plays like a magic show and Nolan is its magician. An entertaining magic show creates wonder and that’s what this film did, so overall I think Nolan delivered. However, any magic show can be ruined by picking over the details. So when Nolan gets lost in exposition, that’s when the film stumbles. Of course, when the audience starts picking over plot details that don’t need to be scratched, I think they start to lose focus on what kind of show Nolan was putting on for us. The biggest misstep happens within the final twist and it’s where I think a lot of people became disconnected with this movie. The ending spends too much time giving us all the answers and probably could have been better if it were to just have kept a few secrets to itself. Like the movie preaches, the audience doesn’t want to see the answer as much as they want to be tricked. Nolan obviously isn’t afraid to play around with narrative so why not try some ambiguity?

Score: 7/10

3. Batman Begins (2005)

While the visuals in the Batman franchise have always been strong the story was rarely as dark as the characters on screen. The solution: a neo-noir director; Christopher Nolan.  However the product that develops from this pairing is more than just acceptable. Nolan has given us the Batman film that we deserve. Batman Begins explores the nucleolus of the Batman legend and the Wayne’s emergence as a force for good in Gotham. After disappearing to the East, Wayne (Bale) seeks counsel with the dangerous but honorable ninja cult leader known as Ra’s Al-Ghul (Qui-Gon Jin). When things turn bad in Asia, Wayne returns to Gotham as a masked crusader and begins to strike fear into the cities most corrupt. By the end of the film, the complicated plot and multiple villains catch up with the story and force a few stumbles in an overall solid script. Of course, Nolan isn’t going to end his film on a complex climax and a lovey-dovey moment with Katie Holmes. Han’s Zimmer score blares and the Bat-Signal glows in Gotham’s sky as we learn that there’s a new kid in town and he leaves a calling card.

Score: 8/10

2. The Dark Knight (2008)

In Nolan’s second installment of the Batman franchise, Wayne raises the stakes in his war on crime. With the help of the mystery team (Gordon, Dent and Rachel), Batman sets out to dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets including a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as The Joker (Ledger). In order to take on the extremely ambitious and bleak plot Nolan is attempting, you need a character that pumps a bit of unfiltered popcorn theatrics into the audience’s bloodstream. Ledger’s Joker is exactly this. I shouldn’t have to re-praise the universal acclaim that this performance and film have received from both the critics and the audience. Nolan’s direction raises the bar for super-hero films on both a visual and narrative level. Does it stretch on perhaps a bit too long? Maybe. Does my inner geek wish Nolan ended it “Empire Strikes Back” style with the Joker’s heading poking out the cop car’s window as Batman stands on a pile of rubble that used to be his girlfriend? Maybe. Am I disappointed in the ending I got? Absolutely not. We’re lucky Nolan ended it the way he did. It’s the best live-action superhero film we’re going to see for many years to come.

Score: 9/10

1. Memento (2001)

Christopher Nolan’s second film Memento chronicles two separate stories. First, is of our narrator Leonard (Pearce), an ex-insurance investigator who can no longer build new memories, as he attempts to find the murderer of his wife, which is the last thing he remembers. This story is told backwards revealing more each time (color with a reverse linear structure). The second story is narrated by Leonard but revolves around an old client of his named Sammy Jenkins (black and white flashbacks in a traditional linear structure). Memento’s complex story is backed by the neo-noir style Nolan established in his first film Following. Both film’s circle around deception, end with a twist and have stories that are driven by murrdurr. However, Memento has stronger acting and a more elaborate plot. Where this film really succeeds is in its re-watch-ability because you’ll get a different experience each time. Nolan’s direction stands out after multiple viewings because the viewer can devote less time to following the narrative and take the time to notice the smaller touches that make an already great film even more enjoyable. After spending time with the film it becomes clear that this is an original piece of work in a very predictable genre. It’s Nolan’s best film and is arguably the greatest cult favorite of the previous decade.

Score: 10/10