RW: Rath Ranking - Christopher Nolan's Filmography

In this day and age of film and theater-attendance (forget about coronavirus for a second), there are very few directors that put butts in seats by themselves. Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, and James Cameron are probably the most significant ones. Then there's others that I'd consider because they'll put my butt in a seat: Alex Garland, Denis Villeneuve, the Russo Brothers (directing, not just producing), David Fincher, David Leitch, Takia Waititi, and probably a handful of others I'm forgetting at the moment. 

But none get me quite as excited as one director - and I'm fairly certain that many others feel the same: Christopher Nolan. 

On a highly consistent basis, he gives us thrilling films that challenge our thinking, pull the rug out from under us, melt our minds, stun us, and - perhaps best of all - are highly original. Even when he gets the chance to do something like a superhero film or World War II piece, his "version" of each stand out significantly. For as many films as I watch, to say that he's my favorite director is a well earned title THAT I HOPE HE CHERISHES DEARLY! 

As we approach what could be one of his most creative films yet, Tenet, it appears as if it may have more weight on its shoulders than just being a "hit". If the timing works out and it keeps its opening date (currently July 17), it may be responsible for kick-starting the summer box office in a year that has seen COVID-19 have a massive impact on the industry. And if I were willing to risk a pandemic of pneumonia, it would be to see a Christopher Nolan original! 

So, seeing as how I haven't done a Rath Write-Up in a while and I've never done a list/ranking, I introduce the first ever Rath Ranking of Christopher Nolan's films. Most of these have reviews that are linked after the blurb! Let's start at the bottom shall we?

*NOTE* Updated 7/8/23 to include Tenet in preparation for Oppenheimer! 

11 | Insomnia

"A good cop can't sleep because he's missing a piece of the puzzle. And a bad cop can't sleep because his conscience won't let him."

I should preface the film that gets "last" with: when it comes to Nolan, you're really splitting hairs for the most part. Especially once you get into the Top 3 or 5, it's anyone's game and he doesn't have a single bad (or even "meh") film on his resume. Insomnia represents Nolan at his most mundane, even when he manages to excite. The tale about a detective who is pending an investigation, researching a murder in Alaska is a shockingly straight-forward approach to murder mystery, bolstered by memorable Pacino and Williams performances. Review HERE.

10 | Following

"Just because you broke into people's homes doesn't mean you need to look like a f**king burglar."

Following is Nolan's first film and it's barely over an hour long. It's a highly interesting watch now, knowing what we do about his talent, as there are clear signs (and opportunities to hone his skills) of many of the things we love about him today. Originality, non-linear storytelling, and big reveals are all here in low-budget form and while it's his first film - I still enjoyed it a lot. Review HERE.  

9 | Batman Begins

"Why bats, Master Wayne?"
"Bats frighten me. It's time my enemies shared my dread."

I imagine this is where some may begin to disagree with my rankings, but I should remind them: I still really like Batman Begins! But here's the thing: I think it's ever-so-slightly overrated. It's well done and gives us an awesome, semi-realistic first take on the vigilante, but it's also small scale and goes through many of the same motions of other origin stories. Nolan proved he was out to do something special but when you consider the other films in this trilogy and the other films he has created, #9 really isn't that low.

8 | Memento

"If we talk for too long, I'll forget how we started. Next time I see you, I'm not going to remember this conversation. I don't even know if I've met you before....I've told you this before, haven't I?"

As I explain in my review, I never got to experience the "magic" of Memento because I watched it long after it came out and the reveals had all been ruined for me at that point. For many, this is Nolan's defining film. For me, it's a huge leap from his first movie, and one that puts him on the map, but still shows a few opportunities to hone in on. Even still, the trippy journey we take through a memory-challenged, mentally ill individual is one of the most unique approaches to non-linear storytelling there has ever been. Review HERE.

7 | The Prestige 

"You're familiar with the phrase 'man's reach exceeds his grasp'? It's a lie: man's grasp exceeds his nerve."

The Prestige is a film that really shouldn't work - at least in my opinion - because I always find that capturing magic tricks in movies is "cheating". With Nolan however, the focus is less on the magic and more on the pursuit of being the best as two men almost comically, and tragically, out duel each other for fame and glory. There's a lot to love here - including several strong performances - and the ending is particularly gripping as it changes most of what you know about the film before. Review HERE

6 | The Dark Knight Rises

"Oh, you think darkness is your ally? But you merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, molded by it."

I imagine this is where my list divulges the most from others. As is the case with pop culture in this day and age, things that are loved once tend to not age gracefully with a minor, but vocal few and this slowly becomes "popular" opinion. I've seen The Dark Knight Rises called trash, Nolan's "worst" film, and many other epithets. Meanwhile, I'm sitting over here like: "Are you kidding me? The Dark Knight Rises was one of the most epic superhero films we've ever gotten!" Sure, Nolan can't help himself with a sloppy Talia al Ghul reveal and the nuke is cliché, but otherwise, Rises gives us an epic sense of scale as a genius, frightening Bane takes over and shuts Gotham down. Will you really ever forget the first time you heard Bane's voice through an IMAX speaker? Or when he hijacks a plane mid-air in the intro? Alfred breaking down in tears? Or Bane and Batman's brutal fight in the sewers? Or taking over a football game? It frustrates me when people don't stick with their original opinion, but that seems to be the case for most people when it comes to The Dark Knight Rises. While I may have slightly overrated it in my review (likely related to emotions of the nearby Aurora Theater shooting if I'm being transparent), I still love the hell out of this awesome film. Review HERE. 


5 | Dunkirk

"Where's the bloody air force?"

Dunkirk is a much different film for Christopher Nolan in a lot of ways. It's a straightforward tale of a famous battle in a historic war. There aren't really any surprises to be had and many were curious just how - other than making a good film - Nolan would add his "spin" to it. The answer, cleverly, is by taking a high-intensity situation of the evacuation of Dunkirk and telling it from different viewpoints that are happening at the same (or slightly different) times. What we get is a film that's insanely hard to find a fault with and while it may not keep you thinking like Nolan's others, it delivers a level of intensity rarely repeated - even if there's never a single Nazi seen throughout. The flying scenes are second to none too and Hans Zimmer's score is like a ticking clock, moving it forward with every moment. Review HERE.

4 | Tenet

"Don't try to understand it. Feel it."

This film was just incredibly unlucky given that it released in the midst of a global pandemic. One almost wonders how its legacy would have been remembered if Nolan had sat on it for a couple years, similar to how Cruise did with Top Gun: Maverick. But much like Tenet explains itself, "What's happened, happened." and I f**king love this movie and it's one of the best example of a Nolan film getting better with subsequent viewings. The first time? I had borderline no idea what was going on. Five viewings in, I feel like I have a good grasp with some gaps. But I'll be damned if this take on James Bond and the spy world isn't awesome as hell, not to mention the wonderful leads by John David Washington and Robert Pattinson. Oh, and don't forget the pulse-pounding original score that, despite being done by Ludwig Goransson as opposed to Hans Zimmer, is one of Nolan best and most fitting. Tenet is so up my alley in many regards that you can consider its high ranking a "one for me" take. Review HERE.  

3 | Interstellar

"Do not go gentle into that good night; old age should burn and rave at close of day. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

When I first saw Interstellar, I was overwhelmed (as is evidenced in my review). There was so much science that I didn't understand and it's just so. much. that I found it hard to really focus in on the intricacies of the story and reveals. I cannot recommend enough to read "The Science of Interstellar" and rewatch the film. No, you shouldn't have to read a science book to "get" a movie, but once I did the movie took a huge shift and through multiple watches I am always in awe of its splendor and sense of epic scale. It's a film that leads to topics I could think about for days (e.g. what happens after Earth, who will be the person to get us there, how will we evolve to interact with time differently, are there other dimensions and worlds for us, etc.). It tackles so many of these things and crafts a movie so gargantuan that it makes you feel so small afterward - in a good, but daunting way. And it doesn't hurt that it features Hans Zimmer's best original score ever, which is saying a lot. Honestly, there are times after watching this film where I'm so affected by it, that I could almost give it the #1 spot. Review HERE. 

2 | The Dark Knight

"Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it! You know, I just...*do* things."

What else is there to say about The Dark Knight that hasn't already been said? It's probably one of the best films in the last 20 years, likely sits comfortably in many people's Top 10 lists, was a pop culture phenomenon, and gave us one of (if not the outright best) performances ever with Heath Ledger's Joker. It was packaged in a searing, intense crime noir that had (again) an awesome Hans Zimmer score, gorgeous technical acumen, and nearly every scene was crafted with details so fine that the whole thing became iconic. It's a masterpiece through and through and still reigns as the best superhero movie of all time, despite my love for what Marvel has been doing. Decades from now it will still be one of the most influential films of the early 2000s and this is the movie that propelled Nolan into the stratosphere. Review HERE. 

1 | Inception

"Dreams feel real while we're in them. It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange."

Inception is my favorite movie of all time. You could ask me what my "Top 10" are and the answer would likely change depending on how I'm feeling that day, but the constant is that this film would be at the top. It's a smart blockbuster, and one that introduces so much originality and thought-provoking concepts, it's hard not to leave the theater with your head spinning in amazement. I also think it's near the top of Nolan's best organized and crafted films when you consider just how complex it gets with spot-on editing and pacing, gorgeous cinematography, a script that has to explain a lot, but does so effectively, and Hans Zimmer's second best original score with his own masterpiece song, "Time". I've spent hours upon hours thinking about this film after the fact and it's world, it's ending, and where a potential sequel could go. I certainly don't need, or even really want one, but the possibilities are endless with a film that meshes so many genres so effectively. It's rare that a director has multiple masterpieces, but Inception is certainly one of Nolan's. Review HERE. 


That concludes my first ever Rath Ranking of Christopher Nolan's filmography! Agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments below, on Facebook, or on Instagram! And hopefully we'll all be seeing Tenet (safely, of course) in a couple months and getting our minds collectively blown once more by Nolan.