Guest-writer Greg Rouleau unveiled his Top 10 Performances in Christopher Nolan's films as part of a tribute to the Dunkirk director. This month Rouleau returns by ranking all of Nolan's feature films from best to worst. Nolan has enjoyed an illustrious start to his movie-making career, so let's honor this visionary as best we can. And here it is, Christopher Nolan's filmography ranked in order:
#10. Following (1998)
It�s difficult to stack this ultra-low budget indie against the rest of Nolan�s filmography � especially when most of his epic blockbusters command budgets north of nine figures. Reportedly shot over weekends while the director maintained a full-time day job, Following still shows a glimpse of the talent that would burst through in his next movie. The black and white, neo-noir thriller, featuring a notable performance by Jeremy Theobald, as well as some twists and a nonlinear structure that would eventually become Nolan�s trademark. At 70-minutes it�s an easy watch and an admirable first feature.
#9. Insomnia (2002)
The 2002 thriller about a detective summoned to investigate a homicide in an Alaskan town where darkness is null displays Nolan�s continued mastery of moody, noir-inspired films with a guilt-ridden protagonist. Anchored by a pair of notable performances from industry vets, with Al Pacino as the sleep-deprived cop who harbors quite the burden, and Robin Williams � adeptly slipping into the psychotic, homicidal role � Insomnia is a somber, but effective studio debut for the director that proved instrumental in opening up the doors for Nolan�s relationship with Warner Bros., a partnership that would prove incredibly fruitful for the director.
#8. Batman Begins (2005)
Batman doesn�t make an appearance until nearly an hour into Batman Begins, but by the time the iconic superhero announces his arrival to a frightened Carmine Falcone, it�s clear we have a winner on our hands. With a gripping first act � complete with the director�s trademark nonlinear storytelling � we�re treated to the most complete and engrossing retelling of the Batman origin story. Christian Bale � surrounded by a stellar supporting cast � more than delivers in arguably his best role of the trilogy, commandeering the Dark Knight persona with ease as well as portraying the dual-sided Bruce Wayne, who creates a public persona as a drunken playboy to keep his caped crusader identity hidden, and the tortured Bruce Wayne who only a select few come to truly know.
#7. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
While Batman Begins revived the stalled DC franchise,The Dark Knight Rises cemented Nolan�s Batman films as the greatest comic book trilogy of all-time. Rises concludes Bruce Wayne�s arc in epic fashion bringing the story full circle with an incredibly powerful and satisfying conclusion, but not before Batman is physically pushed to his limits by Tom Hardy�s memorable Bane. Anne Hathaway is also a standout as the ambiguously aligned Selina Kyle. This final chapter also features some stunning IMAX sequences � the most of The Dark Knight movies.
#6. Interstellar (2014)
After completing one of the most critically and commercially successful trilogies, Nolan essentially had carte blanche for his next endeavor, so the auteur known for mind-bending narratives on an epic scale decided to venture into the far reaches of outer space. Theoretical physicist, Kip Thorne, laid the groundwork with some scientific theory and Chris, along with brother Jonathan, scripted the sci-fi epic about a group of researchers who travel through a wormhole in search of a new home for Earth�s inhabitants. Matthew McConaughey leads quite the prestigious ensemble through this 169-minute odyssey. For this ambitious vision, Nolan � in his first collaboration with DP Hoyte Van Hoytema � utilized IMAX cameras in new, innovative ways essentially treating them like GoPros. What resulted is a spectacle for the eyes but the story also holds up because it�s perhaps Nolan�s most personal and emotional, heart-wrenching story as it deals with themes of love, survival and loss.
#5. Memento (2000)
In only his second feature, Christopher Nolan crafted a modern classic with his noir-inspired thriller Memento. Much of the hype with Nolan�s sophomore effort surrounded the atypical approach to the layout of the movie, in which a series of black and white narrated scenes that run linear are interspersed with color scenes that show the story happening in reverse. Another ambitious feat for the young director, who wanted to put the audience into the mind of the protagonist � played dutifully by Guy Pearce � as Leonard, a man seeking revenge for his wife�s death while he suffers from anterograde amnesia and is unable to retain short term memory. With strong supporting turns from Joe Pantoliano and Carrie Anne-Moss and an Oscar nominated screenplay, the highly re-watchable Memento undoubtedly announced Nolan�s arrival as a director to keep an eye on.
#4. Dunkirk (2017)
With Dunkirk, it appeared the key elements of Nolan�s cinematic style dovetailed into one stunning, harmonious achievement. The perfected use of IMAX cameras, shooting exclusively on large format for this movie, allowing us to feel as if we�re right there with the stranded soldiers on the beach and in the cockpits of the spitfires. Nolan�s frequent collaborations with composer Hans Zimmer have always yielded memorable results, but never has the score been so effectively implemented in a way that contributes to perfectly building tension to a dramatic climax. This World War II survival thriller could�ve been a straightforward war movie with subplots, Generals strategizing over maps, and frequent breaks in action to spend time on more character driven moments, but Nolan boldly eschews all of the unnecessary exposition that would�ve only muddied the waters. Dunkirk is not devoid of emotion, however, and at a relatively brisk 106 minutes, it�s the shortest Nolan film since his low budget indie Following that allows the action to continually build for a gripping ride that never lets up.
#3. The Prestige (2006)
Released between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight -- and in the same year another turn of the century magician centric movie was released -- The Prestige unfortunately was overlooked at the time, but it�s ultimately the most re-watchable in the Nolan catalog, improving upon repeat viewings. With a duo of great performances by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman as dueling magicians turned deadly rivals, The Prestige is a thrilling maze of twists and turns, including the most memorable surprise ending of any Nolan movie. The shocking finale is built to perfectly by mimicking the three acts of a magic trick (alluded to by Michael Caine in the opening narration) and helps this one stand up to the more extravagant, big-budget fare the director has to offer.
#2. Inception (2010)
Inception was arguably the first movie that could be marketed on the Nolan name alone. Hot off the heels of the blockbuster The Dark Knight, Warner Bros green-lit this 160-million dollar heist movie with an original screenplay, a rarity in the current landscape of the industry for a studio to bank on a movie not based on any larger cinematic universe. It�s the perfect blend of cerebral narrative and awe-inspiring set pieces that only the visionary mind of Christopher Nolan could dream of. Nolan�s continued push for favoring practical effects over CGI must be highlighted here as it lead to some spectacular sequences -- notably the hallway fight scene with Joseph Gordon Levitt. Start to finish it may be the most entertaining of Nolan�s movies and one that will continue conversation for years to come.
#1. The Dark Knight (2008)
From the opening moments it�s clear this isn�t just another superhero movie, this was a genre changing, crime thriller that happened to feature the greatest superhero and the most iconic villain of all-time facing off. Christian Bale�s Batman is given some weighty moments to further display the turmoil Bruce Wayne must endure in his fight to take back Gotham City. Heath Ledger�s Joker is an all-time classic performance that shows how critical a great antagonist is for storytelling. Not to be overshadowed, Aaron Eckhart delivers his best work as the White Knight Harvey Dent and Gary Oldman also shines as Commissioner Gordon. This was the first movie to feature IMAX cameras which were used for several sequences including a stunning prologue that was screened in the winter before release to build hype. Nolan will undoubtedly continue to produce more great efforts in the years to come but his greatest contribution to cinema will always be the 2008 masterpiece, The Dark Knight.
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