Christopher Nolan is one of the finest working directors today. It’s an irrefutable fact. The man has made 10 films to date and most, if not all, are excellent pieces of cinema. The man can seemingly do no wrong as far as the box office goes as well, as one of the rare few filmmakers whose films consistently appeal to large audiences and rake in big bucks. Understandably then, with his new film Tenet poised to hit screens Warner Bros is keen to get it to as many people as possible. With the current pandemic sweeping the world this is proving easier said than done with Tenet‘s release date constantly being shifted back. Whilst we may not know for sure when we’ll see Nolan’s latest we do know that his other 10 films are pretty widely available to watch now (Following excluded), so there’s never been a better time to dive into Christopher Nolan’s filmography. We’ve done just that, attempting to rank them all from least to most great. It’s a tight line to walk in some respects and honestly, if you have the time you should check them all out, but if you want to know the best of the best, read on.
10. Following (1999)
Nolan’s first film Following barely even qualifies as one by today’s standards, clocking in at a measly 70 minutes. It is even more impressive then, that Nolan’s debut feature never feels rushed or half-baked; taking its time to lay the important pieces of its twisty narrative and letting certain scenes sit to heighten their impact and hint at connections between story shreds. Following also introduced audiences to Nolan’s obsession with time and non-linear storytelling, two features that would become a staple throughout his career. Here we follow a young nameless writer (Jeremy Theobald). Jobless and hungry for inspiration the writer spends his days targeting random people and following them throughout the streets of London, searching for an interesting story to tell until he begins following Cobb (Alex Haw), a young man who takes the writer under his wing as a burglar, targeting apartments in the middle of the day and taking whatever they want. Cobb is a curious young individual though, and seemingly doesn’t rob to amass riches or things, but rather to disrupt peoples lives and force them to reassess their place in life and the things they consider necessary. When Cobb and the writer burgle a young nameless Blond woman’s (Lucy Russell) house, the writer strikes up an ill-advised romance with her, ingratiating himself further and further into her life until she asks him to burgle something incredibly precious for her. Nolan’s demonstrates an early mastery over story control and shot composition, making what would in lesser hands be an incredibly confusing narrative easy to piece together and understand, whilst keeping you guessing about where it is heading at all times. Whilst the dour ending may not appeal to some, it is nonetheless an incredibly impressive debut feature and an essential viewing in tracing Nolan’s growth into larger, more complex stories.
9. Insomnia (2002)
When you think of Christopher Nolan’s later lofty, high-concept work you wouldn’t necessarily expect that the man had tackled a fairly standard cop procedural story before. That’s exactly what Insomnia is, but as is tradition with Nolan, with a twist. Adapted from the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name the story focuses on Al Pacino as Detective Dormer who travels to the small Alaskan town of Nightmute to assist with an investigation into the brutal murder of a young girl. Nightmute is in a curious part of the world however, with daylight stretching on for days on end without darkness, wreaking havoc on Dormer’s sleep schedule and causing him to slowly lose his grasp on reality and rational thinking. This is all exacerbated when a terrible tragedy strikes Dormer and his partner Hap (Martin Donovan) and the killer slowly begins to circle the detective and play with his slowly deteriorating mind. As far as an adaptation goes, Insomnia nails all the right aspects of the original film whilst throwing in a few new tweaks to update the film for English-speaking audiences. Going into this expecting an intriguing murder case however is the wrong mindset as the film is more concerned with analysing the character of Dormer and the slow unravelling of his mind. It works due to the two anchoring, powerhouse performances of Al Pacino and Robin Williams, both of who are on their A-game and willing to show completely different sides of themselves to the audience, particularly Williams. It’s an extremely dark role for the famous comedian and one that he absolutely commits to, instilling his mysterious character with a carefully calculated demeanour and facade that hides the more sinister presence lurking within. Pacino similarly wows as Dormer’s behaviour gets more and more erratic as the case goes on, sacrificing all shreds of morality that he has in order to solve the case and save his soul in the process. Whilst these performances are great, the film does move at a particularly slow pace which may be off-putting to some. If you can stand the length however, you will be rewarded with a rich character study that shows two of the finest actors ever to do it at their peaks.
8. Dunkirk (2017)
The main lead in Dunkirk, British soldier Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) tries to go to the bathroom twice in the opening 5 minutes of the film and is stopped short by enemy gunfire. He never tries again and we’re led to believe he held it in the rest of the movie. That’s one of the best ways to describe the experience of Dunkirk, a film that puts you right in the thick of it during the English and French Allies escape from the beach of Dunkirk following a loss at the Battle of France. There’s a constant feeling of dread and tension that seeps into you whilst you watch Dunkirk, almost without you knowing, and it’s only once that final title card comes up that you feel the pure stress you have been under begin to ease. The film is composed of many overlapping story threads that together make one cohesive picture. One arc follows Tommy and a rag tag group of soldiers who attempt to leave the beach on multiple different naval crafts, another puts you in the air with Air Force pilot Farrier (Tom Hardy) as he attempts to protect the boats ferrying soldiers back to Britain, and yet another follows a civilian vessel crewed by local sailor Mr Dawson (Mark Rylance), his son Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) and local school boy George (Barry Keoghan) as they venture into the deadly waters of Dunkirk to bring back as many soldiers as they can. All of the performances in Dunkirk are phenomenal, there’s no doubt about that, in particular Mark Rylance as a sailor who seems acutely aware of the terror he is sailing into but knows he has a duty to help those who defend his country. The film manages to evoke the horror of war and the constant fear of the enemy without every really showing you the enemy. There are bombs dropped and enemy fighters flying overhead but they are given no face, no human figure to grasp onto and it somehow makes the whole experience that much more terrifying, almost like a horror film. Some unseen force is constantly lurking and even when it isn’t physically there its presence is constantly bearing down on the soldiers and testing their mental strength. Being Nolan he seems determined to play with the timeline here, intentionally showing scenes out of order and at different intervals so that when we see a plane flying overhead in one scene early on we see the converse side of that scene from Farrier’s perspective an hour later. It’s a needless addition here and distracts attention away from the already brilliantly pared back and tense story, a departure for Nolan. Nevertheless Dunkirk is a phenomenal war film that will not soon be forgotten.
7. Memento (2000)
Of all his time-bending films, Nolan’s sophomore feature Memento is surely his most inventive and unusual, telling the story of Leonard (Guy Pierce), a man on the hunt for his wife’s murderer who suffers from short term memory loss and uses a complex system of polaroids and tattoos to remember information as his memory refreshes every 15 minutes or so. If that weren’t enough of an original plot, the whole film is actually presented in reverse, beginning with Leonard’s assassination of a man and following the events preceding that murder. Now when I say reverse I don’t mean some opening death followed by a record scratch with a character exclaiming “How did I get here?”. I mean quite literally backwards, with chunks of story preceding the murder interspersed with footage of Leonard in a hotel room hunting for clues which eventually come together and meet up to tell the story of the day before the murder. If you think that this is ridiculous and that you already know the plot let me assure you that not only is this a reasonable assumption (I said the same thing) but trust me when I say you do not know where this is going, as the films closing scenes flip the entire story on its head. Guy Pierce gives a career-best performance here as the forgetful Leonard, a man incapable of making new memories since the moment of his accident but with an acute memory of his wife’s murder and a singular drive to exact revenge on her killer. Joining Leonard on his loopy ride are Carrie-Ann Moss as a young bartender who has her life completely changed by Leonard’s mission and Joe Pantoliano as Teddy, a man whose allegiance is constantly in question but who seems determined to help Leonard catch his man. Memento is one of those films where the hype around the film threaten to overshadow the film itself, but missing out on this one would be doing yourself a disservice. This is the film that put Christopher Nolan on the map, and rightly so, as it is one of the most inventive and unique stories that you will ever experience, with a conclusion so satisfying and unexpected that it justified the man being handed the keys to the kingdom of Batman (more on that later).
6. Interstellar (2014)
Yes, I know the twist in Interstellar is divisive and a bit of a cop-out to some but I happen to love it. Nolan’s most earnest and emotionally devastating film places human interaction and one particular family’s struggle to carry the fate of an entire civilization at the heart of its space opera story: a warm counterpoint to the otherwise sterile, cold intergalactic adventures that the genre is known for. Regardless of your thoughts on the ending you can’t deny that the preceding three hours of Interstellar are a visually breathtaking spectacle and a solidly paced mystery that intrigues from the outset and breaks you down in the same way as Matthew McConaughey’s emotionally scarred astronaut Coop. Coop’s family is irreversibly changed when he is asked to venture out into the cosmos in order to find an inhabitable planet for the human race to continue, leaving behind his son Tom (Timothee Chalamet) and daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy). His journey is further complicated by the increased passing of times in different parts of the galaxy, causing Coop and the rest of his crew – scientists Brand (Anne Hathaway) and Doyle (Wes Bentley) – to age far more slowly than the people they have left behind on Earth. The central relationship of Interstellar is between Coop and his children (played by Jessica Chastain and Casey Affleck as adults) and the almost insurmountable guilt Coops bears for leaving them, knowing that it is also the only way that they will ever have a future. McConaughey is phenomenal and the scenes where he is allowed to sit with these feelings and become unhinged are Oscar-worthy. Frequent Nolan collaborator Hans Zimmer also returns to score the film, crafting another booming, epic score that highlights all the huge moments while also creating the perfect melancholy soundtrack to Coop’s internal struggles. Interstellar asks for a commitment from the audience: to stick through its almost oppressive runtime and to embrace the human themes that Nolan is placing at the forefront. If you go in with an open mind and enjoy the ride it can be one of the most rewarding and fun sci-fi experiences in recent memory.
5. The Prestige (2006)
The Prestige may just feature a plot and setting better suited to Nolan’s style than any other on this list. The nineteenth-century thriller follows rival magicians Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) as they engage in increasingly desperate attempts to outdo each other following a tragic accident that drove them apart many years earlier. As a tale built around old-school stage magic, this is a film that hinges on misdirection, tricking the audience and providing last minute reveals that throw all your expectations to the wind. These tropes have Christopher Nolan written all over them, and it’s clear he’s revelled in crafting the complex drama that always has one more ace up its sleeve. Jackman falls right into his element as a charismatic showman that soaks up the spotlight, yet he also brings an edge and intensity that hint at what he eventually dug into during 2013’s Prisoners. Similarly, Bale is also at the top of his game here, playing to his strengths as a layered and complicated character that saw the actor lead Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. The core of The Prestige comes down to the intense and increasingly hostile battle between these two incredibly different characters, however the downtime between their sabotage attempts and dramatic reveals does tend to weigh on the film over its two-hour runtime. Supporting roles filled by the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine and even the late David Bowie do well to propel things forward, but the real heights of the story come and go like flashes of lightning only to be followed by lengthy stretches of downtime before the next exciting act. While definitely a slow-burn, The Prestige is still Christopher Nolan deep within his element – an intense thriller that keeps you guessing right up until the final curtain falls.
4. Inception (2010)
Nolan’s most original piece of work and highest grossing film outside the Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception is a fantastic sci-fi espionage romp with a killer conceit: Leonardo DiCaprio’s Cobb leading a team through the dreams of a corporate bigwig in order implant the idea of breaking up his father’s company in his subconsciousness, thus ensuring Ken Watanabe’s company’s continued survival. There’s a lot on the line for Cobb; who was forced to flee his native America after being accused of the murder of his wife Molly (Marion Cotillard), whose memory stalks Cobb and the team throughout the dreams he enters, threatening to bring the whole operation down and dooming Cobb to prison. It’s a tightly wound, expertly crafted story that constantly makes you question what you know and toys with the idea of reality in a way that hadn’t been seen before and which numerous films have drawn inspiration from (I’m looking at you Doctor Strange) with buildings folding in on themselves and gravity fluctuating and reversing as the team ventures deeper and deeper into the mind. Whilst most will remember it for the inventive story Inception also has one of the best casts assembled in recent years including Michael Caine, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and a young Tom Hardy before he broke big. Whilst it is well and truly DiCaprio’s show here, Page, Gordon-Levitt and Hardy all get their chances to shine, with the latter two rising to superstar status following these performances. Cilian Murphy also gets to showcase an impressive emotional range; an opportunity that he had previously not been afforded by Nolan, as the tortured heir to a fortune who must break down the troubled relationship he had with his father and come to understand forgiveness in order to move forward. Let’s not forget the amazing score by Hans Zimmer who practically reinvented the epic film score going forward with booming horns spaced between quieter string sections. Inception may also include his finest single piece of music in the phenomenal “Time” which works as well on its own as it does as a part of the score and never fails to transport you to a dream-like state.
3. Batman Begins (2005)
The first piece of what would go on to become Nolan’s defining trilogy, Batman Begins was a huge turning point for both the acclaimed director and the industry as a whole at the time. Before the 2005 blockbuster was released, superhero movies were definitely not the bankable sure-fire hits that we expect today – especially when these films featured Gotham City’s Batman. The late 80’s and early 90’s saw some passable Tim Burton interpretations in Batman and Batman Returns, both proving too much for 1995’s Batman Forever to live up to. Yet the wheels well and truly fell off with 1997’s Batman & Robin, a circus of terrible one-liners, cheesy overacting and a wooden George Clooney inexplicably donning a bat costume with nipples built onto it. With such a grim history, it was safe to say that expectations were low when Nolan’s Batman Begins attempted to reboot the troubled hero’s film career almost a decade later. However, against all odds, it was just plain brilliant. The franchise was finally represented as the dark, gritty psychological thriller that had defined it off-screen for years, with Nolan’s signature style transforming the hero from a corny joke into a multilayered, complex action star. Christian Bale seems almost born for the role as Batman, bringing a quiet confidence to Bruce Wayne by day and a brooding intensity to the dark vigilante by night. Michael Caine has since become synonymous with loyal butler and caretaker Alfred Pennyworth, and both Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson bring grounded performances to otherwise outrageous villains in Scarecrow and Ra’s al Ghul respectively. It’s certainly a lengthy start to the trilogy and you tend to feel it at times, but the time spent here building Batman from the ground up pays off immensely throughout the film and the trilogy as a whole. Following entries would go on to perfect the formula, however Batman Begins will always be the huge gamble that kickstarted the silver screen’s superhero renaissance that we’ve been living in ever since.
2. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
As the third and final entry in Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises also proved to be the riskiest. Introducing new heroes, villains and storylines into its almost three-hour runtime would be difficult at the best of times, but the film also needed to deliver on years of development with a fitting conclusion. As expected, The Dark Knight Rises went on to round out the trilogy with a bang, rising to reach the same record-breaking heights as its predecessor did in 2008. Bale once again effortlessly delivers the lead role as Bruce Wayne and his cloaked alter ego, especially in the more focused scenes where he’s forced to pull himself together, broken in both body and spirit. New entries Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and Officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are woven in perfectly, seamlessly slotting into the plot and fleshing out more of the famous comic characters. The return of franchise favourites Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman is also a treat, and each of their characters are given fitting conclusions to arcs as the hero’s allies. The plot itself is a lengthy tale that explores both Batman’s history and legacy, with much of the film driven by Tom Hardy’s brutal and imposing Bane. As a character, Tom Hardy delivers Bane as a fierce and immovable force that stands tall as one of Batman’s toughest enemies to date. However as The Dark Knight Rises moves toward its grand ending, his character begins to lose steam when paired with another new entry, Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard). Cotillard did the best with what she was given, however she was unfortunately saddled with a fairly generic character whose greatest twist was a known factor for anyone remotely familiar with the franchise. It doesn’t detract too much from the rest of the film, but the character is almost completely forgotten in a film already juggling so much. Despite this minor gripe however, The Dark Knight Rises easily brings a triumphant end to Nolan’s revival of the world’s greatest detective, setting an incredibly high standard for not only superhero franchises, but any action thriller worth its salt going forward.
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
The fact that The Dark Knight takes first place upon our list of Christopher Nolan films will come as little surprise to most. The second chapter in the director’s Batman trilogy has left a huge legacy for reasons both triumphant and tragic, and it would be hard to find anyone unfamiliar with the film on at least some level. After the runaway success of Batman Begins, Nolan set out to raise the bar even higher by expanding the roster, dialing up the action and delivering constant, adrenaline-pumping tension. Christian Bale reprises his role as the billionaire crime-fighter alongside Michael Caine’s Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman’s Jim Gordon and Morgan Freeman’s Lucius Fox, with each bringing the experience and pedigree we’d seen during their initial outing. Aaron Eckhart joins the cast as Harvey Dent, performing well alongside a re-cast Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) to bring the infamous origin story of Two-Face to life. Yet it’s impossible to discuss The Dark Knight without mentioning the incredible, Oscar-winning performance by Heath Ledger as the infamous Joker. Ledger embodies the enigmatic villain in every scene, creating a character so unique and interesting that Hollywood has since become obsessed with replicating it. Yet Batman’s arch enemy has never been as strong as he is here within The Dark Knight, where his manic and erratic nature mask the fact that he’s always the smartest man in the room. From the film’s intense opening to its dramatic conclusion, the audience is always led to believe that the Joker is a criminal mastermind with nothing to lose – and Ledger just makes it an absolute blast to watch. It’s unfortunate that we’ll never know just what he may have brought to the table for the trilogy’s finale, however it’s safe to say that his final big screen performance will always be remembered as an absolute masterclass. Between stellar characters like these alongside some breakneck pacing, explosive action and a timeless plot, The Dark Knight is not just Nolan’s greatest work to date, but easily one of the greatest films of the past generation.