We finally made it to the release of Christopher Nolan’s 12th feature film, Oppenheimer. The film will be a biopic thriller that follows the development of the world’s first nuclear weapons and the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer. To prepare for the release, I’m ranking Nolan’s 11 feature films by how much I like them.
I was going to do this with Greta Gerwig as well, but Barbie is going to be her fourth feature film release so here’s my quick ranking of Gerwigs filmography.
3. Nights and Weekends (2008)
2. Little Women (2019)
1. Lady Bird (2017)
There’s my quick and concise Greta Gerwig ranking. Now let’s get into Christopher Nolan’s filmography.
11. Following (1998)
I’m not saying that Following is bad, but it’s Nolan getting his feet wet and it’s not as good as the rest of his filmography. A lot of great directors don’t have memorable directorial debuts like David Fincher, Stanley Kubrick, and Francis Ford Coppola. Nolan falls in that category. But Following is interesting because it’s his take on a noir thriller and it’s solid. It’s nothing that blows you away with originality like a lot of his other films, but there are some redeeming qualities. Overall, it’s pretty forgettable when you consider his next three films were Memento, Insomnia, and Batman Begins.
10. Tenet (2020)
I heavily debated putting Tenet at eleven, but the performances from John David Washington and Robert Pattinson land it at ten. It narrowly avoided being dead last. The reasoning for me not liking Tenet was it’s remarkably convoluted. Nolan creates an epic opening scene and a good looking film, but one that makes no sense. Or at least it doesn’t make sense to me. I fancy myself as someone who is fairly smart, but I could watch Tenet a dozen times and still have not clue what’s going on. Like I mentioned, the film looks good and the special effects are pristine, but I can’t get past the convoluted plot of time flow manipulation.
9. Interstellar (2014)
Much like Tenet, Interstellar is a beautifully shot film. The visuals rival Stanley Kubricks classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. But for me, that’s where the appeal stops. I’m a huge Matthew McConaughey fan, but his performance felt overdone, and while many people find the film to be super emotional, I never connected with it. Now this could be on me because McConaughey’s grief and emotion derives from leaving his family behind. Being 22 years old and not having kids could make me feel calyces towards this emotion. Another reason I don’t have Interstellar higher is because I hate the fan base of Interstellar. They will drive every little “unknown” factoid about the film down your throat and won’t relent if you don’t say you love this movie. “DiD yOu KnOw NoLaN aCtUaLlY pLaNtEd CoRn AnD tHeN sOlD iT aFtEr?” YES. Everyone knows that.
8. Batman Begins (2005)
A lot of Nolan fans really enjoy Batman Begins. For me, I respect it, but don’t have a lot of affection towards it. It’s the set up piece of my favorite trilogy of all time and also showcases a great villain with a great performance from said villain: Cillian Murphy as Scarecrow. I do think that some of the action sequences lack in comparison to The Dark Knight films, but I love the training scenes between Christian Bale as Batman and Liam Neeson as Ra’s al Guhl. Like I said, I don’t love this movie, but I respect its place in history because it not only kicks off my favorite trilogy in film history, but it’s the debut of my favorite Batman. Bale is better than Keaton, Clooney, Pattinson, Affleck, and Kilmer. He’s my Batman.
7. Inception (2010)
Having Inception three spots higher than Tenet could render some flack towards me because both films are confusing and both films have cult fan bases. The reason I have Inception higher is because the cast is one of Nolan’s best and it’s a fun action film. Yes, it requires a lot of thinking and the ending still makes me ponder the films full plot, but seeing Leonardo DiCaprio, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Elliot Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Tom Berenger, and Michael Caine all act together in a film is enthralling. In addition, I get captivated by the actual inception sequences of buildings and entire landscapes shifting within someone’s mind.
6. Dunkirk (2017)
Christopher Nolan making a war film when he’s coming off The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar was an intriguing revelation, but he makes his least involved and coldest film in the best way possible. This is a war film where there’s really no happy ending. Some soldiers survive, but others die or are captured and as a viewer, you’re left sitting there, just having to swallow it. The characters he delivers are very cold as well, but you expect and kind of need that. You don’t really think that a soldier whose plane just crashed into the ocean would be jovial. You imagine them being shellshocked and having that thousand yard stare. Aside from the pacing being a bit uneven, Dunkirk was great. It’s easily one of the best war films of the 2010s and, again, a common theme with Nolan’s films, it looks great.
5. Insomnia (2002)
Insomnia is an underrated gem from Nolan that slipped between the cracks because it’s sandwiched between Memento and Batman Begins. I really enjoy this crime thriller, though, because it’s Nolan directing a film with no time travel elements or outlandish twists. This is a straight up detective thriller that makes your blood run cold. While it is a detective thriller, it does have great Nolan elements of insomnia making Al Pacino’s character go mad, the same way he used amnesia in Memento to make Guy Pearce’s character go mad. That adds the science fiction element he loves to direct.
Out of all the great elements that Insomnia has, none are better than the way he uses Robin Williams. Williams was less than five years removed from starring in schmaltzy films like Patch Adams and Bicentennial Man where he plays a sentimental and soft character. In Insomnia, Williams is an eloquent and smart murderer. His calm and reserved persona make you more uncomfortable than if he played someone who’s an intense killer. Just brilliant work by Nolan.
4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
As I’ve grown up, I realize that The Dark Knight Rises has gaping plot holes, but I still love it. I just recognize them now and suspend reality for my sake. But why I love The Dark Knight Rises so much is because of the memorable scenes Nolan created that have melted into my brain whenever I think of him as a director. For instance, I think the opening scene on the airplane with Bane is one of the best opening scenes of the decade. Then, there’s the scene where Bane blows up Heinz field while Hines Ward runs a kick back. Just thrilling.
I find that Nolan did a fantastic job wrapping up the trilogy by making the viewer decided how Bruce Wayne’s life went, post being Batman. Some have speculated that it was an illusion that Alfred saw at the cafe and that he died carrying the bomb out to the ocean. Others like myself believe that Bruce Wayne is living his life under the radar and has actually stepped away from being Batman and left Gotham in the hands of Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s character.
3. Memento (2000)
Memento is a masterpiece. It’s a bit difficult to follow, which you’ve probably noticed is a common theme in Nolan films, but every time I watch Memento, I feel as invested as the first time I saw it. There’s a great YouTube video about Nolan explaining the timeline/storytelling of Memento and how the story is actually being told. What intrigues me about Oppenheimer is that it supposedly shifts between color and black and white, which was an element of Memento that I truly adored. The shifting color to black and white sequences was a great way of telling the story of this man who’s riddled with amnesia and is looking for the murderer of his wife. Just brilliant work.
When I look at some of Nolan’s films, I think that some of the casting could be changed and maybe work better, but with Memento, I can’t imagine anyone other than Guy Pearce and Joe Pantoliano starring in it. Joey Pants is a fantastic character that you’re not sure you can trust. Guy Pearce just had a great look for the role and plays it masterfully. I can’t think of this film starring any other actors.
2. The Prestige (2006)
While I don’t necessarily think The Prestige is underrated, I don’t think it’s talked about enough. It’s sandwiched between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, two massive films that took away some of the limelight from The Prestige. What’s fascinating about The Prestige is that this is Nolan’s best films where he conveys a great, underlying message. The message here is obsession. Obsession to the point where you do everything to send your rival on a wild goose chase to another country just to get a “win”. This obsession drives one of the main characters to faking his own death to kill his enemy. Just wild stuff that does portray competition and wild obsession in a fantastic manner.
Performance wise, The Prestige has unreal roles from Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, and David Bowie. Those four give extremely layered performances that make you buy into the characters. They make you actually pick sides in this dual of talented magicians. Nolan also makes this film look great. The key scene that solidifies The Prestige as a film with outstanding cinematography was when Tesla lit up the field of lightbulbs.
1. The Dark Knight (2008)
My ranking of Nolan films has changed as I’ve gotten more into film, but my number one film from Nolan has never changed once. The Dark Knight is my favorite superhero film of all-time because the performances are outstanding. Rarely in superhero films do actors give great performances (Black Panther and Watchmen being the exception), but Heath Ledger gives a career best performance that will be remembered as maybe the best Oscar winning performance ever. The action sequences are fantastic and the special effects, especially Ledger’s makeup as the Joker, are exceptional.
Referencing back to The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan does a great job with opening scenes. The Dark Knight has, what I’d consider, the most iconic opening scene ever. Seeing these goons break into the bank and the wipe one another out is a thrill in itself, but when you see William Fichtner get gagged with a bomb and the Joker reveal his face it’s jarring. There’s a lot of great elements about this film, but man, that opening scene is exquisite.