Greetings, reader!
Sure, I posted a ranking of Nolan films a few years back when Tenet (2020) came out. But, now that there's a new Nolan flick out there, let's do it again! Last time I honored the filmmaker's tendency to tell non-linear stories by sharing the ranking from #1 to #11 instead of the usual worst-to-best - this time I'll do it with yet another twist. I'm presenting his films in order of release, from oldest to newest, and one by one revealing how each film is placed in my ranking and why it is in such a place. That way, the biggest question of the hour (where does Oppenheimer rank and what did I think of it?) is saved for last.
12. Following (1998)
Yes, Nolan's first film is also his least-good. The black-and-white 69-minute flick is still a decent debut - out of all the directors whose full filmography I've seen, I reckon only Tarantino has a better 'worst film' than Nolan. While it isn't bad by any means, it is very 'basic' by Nolan standards - the filmmaker is at his best when working with big budgets, massive visuals, blaring Hans Zimmer horn sections and Michael Caine.
Here we have a simplistic teaser of what's to come - there are some neat plot twists even if the story isn't all that cleverly told or mind-boggling like later Nolan scripts, and the directing and overall production values are solid but nothing like the large-scale blockbusters to come. A fine beginning, but it's only uphill from here.
5. Memento (2000)
Nolan's second feature film makes it all the way to fifth place, proving that he doesn't need huge budgets and grandiose action set-pieces for a movie to be one of his best, even if most of his most-beloved works do fall into that category. Sure, Memento is quite big and Hollywood if compared to his very indie debut Following, but it's still very tame when compared to the blockbusters he went on to make - still no Hans Zimmer or Michael Caine. Nolan's sophomore picture still makes it this far on my list, and that is largely thanks to the absolutely genius storytelling.
Memento follows Leonard (Guy Pearce), a man with short-term memory loss, trying to find the man who killed his wife. He uses notes and tattoos to mark his progress, and the story is told more or less in reverse, with most scenes ending just where the previous one began (although there's also a separate black-and-white narrative shedding light on the context of Leonard's condition, because of course there is). This is one of those films you need to watch multiple times in order to wrap your head around it, and I've loved each viewing experience more than the last.
10. Insomnia (2002)
I'd like to rank Insomnia higher, as I consider it an overlooked gem that people don't talk about. But, the thing is - as underrated as it is, there's still no getting around the fact that it isn't quite as good as the likes of Memento, The Prestige et cetera, so I can't put it too high.
Still, Insomnia is a thoroughly decent crime thriller from Nolan's early era. The film's strongest suit is without a doubt its cast, with the great Al Pacino being a perfectly believable insomniac, the late great Robin Williams demonstrating his range with an untypical villain performance, and Hilary Swank carrying her scenes with a solid drive.
Alas, we arrive at the point in time when Nolan began to cooperate with composer Hans Zimmer and actor Michael Caine...
11. Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight trilogy re-shaped superhero cinema and our idea of comic book movies in a massively influential way. While the trilogy's first instalment is inescapably its weakest, it is still a very solid start - we've seen many versions of Batman's origin story on the big screen, but the one seen here is the definitive take. Christian Bale is an excellent Batman and an even better Bruce Wayne, and the supporting cast really shattered the limits of how good the acting in a superhero flick can be, with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson and others providing killer roles.
The film's pacing is a bit off at times and the final act isn't as exciting as it could be, proving that the franchise still had room to improve. But, for the most part, it's a very successful Batman reboot, with Hans Zimmer's score being the icing on the cake for the signature atmosphere of Nolan's take on Gotham City. A sign of great things to come.
4. The Prestige (2006)
Twists and turns, complex non-linear narratives, mind-bending storytelling with cryptic mysteries and jaw-dropping reveals - this right here is where Nolan went full Nolan. The films that came before The Prestige were part of a growth process where a rapidly improving young filmmaker was still finding his style (while making some kick-ass movies in the process), but The Prestige is the moment where he found the perfect recipe.
Nolan's directing is solid enough, as it always is - but it's the script, by him and his brother Jonathan, that truly makes this film into one of the greats. Nolan's enigmatic brand of storytelling is at its most mind-boggling here, making for an end product that you can re-watch time and time again and always get something extra that you missed the previous time. The acting is top notch as well, between the layered lead performances by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, as well as Scarlett Johansson and Michael Caine's remarkable supporting roles.
9. The Dark Knight (2008)
Most people would put the second instalment of the Dark Knight trilogy in their top 3 Nolan flicks, or top 5 at the very least. Most people tend to see The Dark Knight as the greatest superhero film of all time. And while I consider the film a tad overrated, as my act of ranking it at #9 shows, it should be noted that I see where they're coming from as this is one hell of a film. The relatively low ranking says more about Nolan's level of high-quality films than anything else - with many other filmmakers, a film this good would be in the top tier, but Nolan has simply outdone himself multiple times.
But, yeah. There's no getting around the fact that The Dark Knight is a tight-knit, well-paced, properly dark and fantastically acted film. Heath Ledger steals the show with his tragically posthumous Oscar-winning performance as the Joker, and while we're at the topic of acting, Michael Caine's emotional performance as Alfred just doesn't get enough credit here.
Between Gary Oldman's 'watchful guardian' speech and Hans Zimmer's dramatic soundtrack, the ending scene is one of the best from a filmmaker who excels in ending scenes. The film didn't cause as big emotions or deep thoughts in me as many other Nolan films, and doesn't have quite as much re-watch value, which is why it isn't higher than this in my ranking. But it's a brilliant film nonetheless, let's remember that.
1. Inception (2010)
Yep, this one right here, it's still the one. The only Nolan flick to make into my top 10 favorite movies of all time, Inception is an imaginative thrill ride with infinite re-watch value. The definitive point in his career where he had fully upgraded from smaller-scale mysteries to the grandiose large-scale blockbusters that we now associate Nolan with is this film right here, and this shift also marks the greatest individual highlight of his career.
From Leo DiCaprio to Joseph Gordon-Levitt, from Marion Cotillard to Ken Watanabe, and from Cillian Murphy to Michael Caine, the star-studded ensemble cast brings the end product home. I don't want to over-emphatize Inception being Nolan's best, because the filmmaker does keep reinventing himself with fresh new ideas, and many later films have had some element that's done better than in any earlier work. But, as a whole, nothing quite beats this dreams-within-dreams heist flick, with its perfect pacing, creative story, earth-shattering Hans Zimmer score, and one of the all-time great movie endings.
6. Dark Knight Rises (2012)
When compared to popular opinion, I'd reckon that #6 is a controversially high ranking for the final instalment of the Dark Knight saga. Some people downright didn't like it, and even the ones who did seem to consider it one of the lesser Nolan films. For me, however, Dark Knight Rises is the very epitome of Nolan's epic Batman trilogy, with all of the franchise's best elements being at their peak, hence my hot take of it being even better than the generally more appreciated Dark Knight.
My love for Nolan films can be traced back to sitting in the movie theater in 2012, and seeing the trailer for this film. My brother had mentioned that there is a set of modern Batman films that are 0% cheesy superhero corn and 100% dark and epic and legendary, but I hadn't watched them yet - and for most of the trailer, I had no idea that I'm watching the trailer for a Batman film. I just knew that this was the best trailer I've ever seen (an opinion I hold to this day), and that this film looks amazing - and only the very ending made me realize that it's the conclusion to the Batman franchise my brother has talked about.
So, I had to watch Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, while also getting acquainted with many other Nolan films - and eventually I got to see Dark Knight Rises, and it was every bit as good as I had expected. High stakes, heart-pumping intensity, raw emotion, larger-than-life moments, and one hell of a conclusion for one of cinema's greatest trilogies.
Also, I feel like I should mention that Michael Caine plays a wonderful role in this film, and Hans Zimmer composed the majestic soundtrack.
2. Interstellar (2014)
Nolan has mastered his takes on many genres throughout the years - crime drama, thriller, war, biopic, film noir, you name it. But many would argue that sci-fi is his strongest suit, and they'd have a strong case. Take everything good I said about Inception, everything good that I will say about Tenet later, and a dash of The Prestige with its sci-fi elements - and then add the absolute majestic beauty of Interstellar to the mix. This man knows science fiction.
Nolan's directing is sublime and his writing even better, while the star-studded cast (I especially enjoyed Michael Caine as NASA scientist John Brand) and the grandiose visual effects really seal the deal. I'd still argue that amidst the wildly emotional moments and mind-boggling plot twists, the true star of the spectacle has got to be Nolan's longtime collaborator Hans Zimmer, with one of the greatest scores in modern cinema. To this day, whenever I listen to any individual piece from the Interstellar soundtrack, I remember the exact feeling that I had when sitting in the movie theater nine years ago, experiencing it all for the first time.
8. Dunkirk (2017)
Dunkirk is the only film where Nolan's directing is even more impressive than his writing. As great of a director as he is, his scripts have always had an even bigger role in his acclaim and legacy - but in this one movie, the former has the edge over the latter.
Mind you, the script is decent - not as non-linear as most Nolan films, but still a bit of a narrative split to make the storytelling even more intense, as we follow an account of the evacuation of Dunkirk from World War II in an edge-of-your-seat, race-against-time fashion. And like I said, it's Nolan's directing that seals the deal - the action sequences look grandiose yet intimate and just feel so damn real. The beach bombing sequence is one of the best examples in the war movie genre of making the viewer feel like they're in the movie, intimately feeling the panic of the soldiers who don't know whether they're about to randomly die or not. A truly gripping war film, with the #8 ranking speaking more about how many great films Nolan has in his filmography than anything else.
Fun fact: Michael Caine makes an uncredited voice cameo in the film. And the score is one of Zimmer's best.
7. Tenet (2020)
Tenet is a very specific kind of film, appealing to only certain viewers and working for only a certain state of mind. If you're watching a movie for entertainment purposes, Tenet isn't the one to go with. But if you want to give your brain a serious exercise, then this is the film for you.
I understand why quite a few people disliked Tenet - it is an intense watch, and one that requires serious attention and commitment and even a re-watch or two in order for the viewer to really get into it. But, for a specific state of mind, Tenet is quite perfect in its category. I applaud the genius premise fleshed-out by the mind-bending script (not to mention Ludwig Göransson's hectic soundtrack), and in the right mindset, it's a hellishly intriguing puzzle box. It's a challenging watch, but so what - Shakespeare plays are challenging reads, Rush songs are challenging drum tracks to learn, but I still enjoy them. In the category of 'films to wrinkle your brain', Tenet stands in a league of its own.
And no, no Zimmer in this one, and Caine only plays a small supporting role. Truly the end of an era.
3. Oppenheimer (2023)
Yep, the one you've been waiting for - Nolan's newest release Oppenheimer, at least based on my first viewing (a Nolan flick should be watched a few times in order to formulate a final opinion), makes it all the way to the prestigious filmmaker's top three.
The biopic format is at its purest - the story stays true to facts, the film doesn't tell you what to think but rather presents all viewpoints that came up in real discussions and lets each viewer decide for themselves who they agree with, and the film's lessons on our history are powerful as hell. Top notch casting, top notch visuals, an immersive Ludwig Göransson soundtrack (between Tenet and this, he has proved a worthy successor to Mr. Zimmer) - this ambitious 3-hour-film about the father of the atomic bomb proves that Nolan shows no signs of slowing down, still finding new ways to reinvent and outdo himself, twelve feature films into his career.
And oh man, that ending scene. One of the most powerful final lines in cinema, and Cillian Murphy could win an Academy Award just for his facial expression in those final moments. Haunting stuff.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for my ranking of the top 10 episodes of HBO's Succession, which I recently finished watching.
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