the Directors: Christopher Nolan

I have yet to see a Christopher Nolan film that I consider good. From my estimation, the man has no idea how to make a good movie; instead, he makes thrilling spectacles of visual wonder. Whether he's playing with linear narrative in a tiny indie thriller, or showing us what a dream within a dream within a dream (within a dream) looks like, Nolan’s movies always have a way of displaying something new.

Most filmmakers with his technical skill rely on just that, technical prowess to tell the story. Nolan’s too smart of that. Like his idol, Stanley Kubrick, Nolan’s films are aesthetically stunning, but smarter than all hell. I sure hope readers enjoy seeing the letter A in bold, because that’s much of what is to follow. Nolan’s movies aren’t good, they’re otherworldly. Here’s why.

Following (1998)

Following is a microbudget, black and white modern day noir in which a man’s innocent hobby catches up with him in the worst possible way.

The Young Man (as he is only known) spends the better part of his days following people around. He doesn’t do this to be creepy or gain knowledge about the person he’s tracking, he just does it to pass the time. When his most recent followee, a thief named Cobb, notices The Young Man tracking him, Cobb invites his follower to join him on some thefts. And, well, shit. At 69 minutes long, there’s not much more I’m comfortable divulging about this film. What's fascinating about Following is that it so clearly displays the immense talent within its creator. It’s a simple, stealthy little movie that deserves to be seen by even the slightest Nolan admirer. A-

Memento (2001)

In early 2010, I called Memento one of Top 10 films of the 2000s, a listing I proudly stand by today. I’ll never forgot the first time I saw Nolan’s ingenious thriller: I went to an indie theater in DC and, without knowing a single thing about it, puzzingly watched Memento unfold before my eyes. It took my about 45 minutes to figure out that the movie was playing in reverse, and once I did, it was impossible for me to catch back up. So, as soon as the movie was finished, I bought a ticket for the next show and watched it again.

And that’s the beauty of Memento: every single time you watch it, there is more to gain. You notice something that wasn’t there, or realize that a single spoken word can completely change your perception of a character. Up until its release, I had never seen a film remotely like Memento. Since then, many films have tried (and failed) to duplicate its style, but no matter, so long as people return to the source, they are in for one of the smartest suspense thrillers in recent memory. If not ever.

Sorry, I haven’t even described what the film is about. And you know what, I’m not going to. If you haven’t seen this movie, know that I cannot recommend it highly enough. The tight script, the revelatory structure, the faithful acting, the haunting score, the cold cinematography – it’s all perfect. If you have seen Memento, then, well, it’s probably time to see it again. Because really, there’s never a bad time to watch this movie. Now, where was I? A+

Insomnia (2002)

I’ve always been a fan of Nolan's fantastic crime thriller, Insomnia, but with every passing viewing, I find myself infinitely more taken with it. Its beautiful construction, its solid acting… it makes a perfect companion piece to Memento, which is as fine a compliment as I can give any thriller.

LA cop Will Dormer (Al Pacino, who hasn’t been as good since) is flown to Alaska to assist in solving the murder of a 17-year-old girl. Roughly 45 minutes into the film, he knows who the killer is, and, better yet, the killer knows it. But, because the murderer (played by an arguable career-best Robin Williams) has dirt on Will that the cop doesn’t want revealed, the two spend the duration of the film gloriously going round and round. To add to the frenzy, Will finds himself unable to acclimate to Alaska’s current 24-hour sunlight season, which slowly eats away at his sanity.

Insomnia is the rarest of films: it’s an upgraded remake (of Erik Skjoldbjærg’s very fine 1997 film), it contains a perfect old Pacino performance, a flawless, in-no-way-humorous Robin Williams performance, and it’s a follow-up to the director’s masterful film. Basically, despite the fact that Insomnia had everything working against it, it does not falter one bit, then or now. A

Batman Begins (2005)

There’s no need to beat around the bush here: Batman Begins completely revolutionized the comic book movie. It proved that a genre designated for fluffy, over glossed works of pulp fiction can be intelligent, fierce, and magically dark. Nolan was an admitted comic book novice when he signed on to helm Batman Begins, and that’s precisely what the film needed: someone to throw tradition aside and give the material a fresh spin.

Christian Bale fits seamlessly into the role of Bruce Wayne, nailing his abused torment, subtle sarcasm and dry wit better than any actor before him. And as Batman, well, I know some people take issue with Bale’s voice when he dons the cape, but I think it is iconically badass.

Aside from Bale and the other actors involved (who are all stellar), Batman Begins contains a fluid, engaging story (two words I would not use to describe most films of this sort), minimal special effects to achieve its stunts, and a style all its own. Coherent, fun, and never remotely close to insulting our intelligence. B+

The Prestige (2006)

Last week, as I watched The Prestige for the first time in years, I tweeted my admiration for the film, calling it one of Nolan’s best. Within 10 minutes, I had received dozens of tweets from people who downright hate the movie, which honestly stunned me to no end. Don’t get me wrong, every person is entitled to their own opinion. If you hate a movie then you hate a movie. Fair enough. I just had no idea that so many people hated this movie.

I’ve always considered Nolan’s tale of two battling magicians to be as fine and twisty as anything he’s done. It’s an amusing, non-linear story of competition that never dares to let me fully comprehend it. I like it. A lot. And I suppose I foolishly assumed others did too. Most everyone who told me they don’t care for the film said it was due to its ending, which I won’t dare reveal here. That’ll come on Thursday. For now, let me say that I consider The Prestige to be an incredibly intelligent film about an incredibly oversaturated concept (that of dueling professionals, and magicians in general). There’s simply nothing I don’t love about it. A

The Dark Knight (2008)

Expectations for this follow-up to Batman Begins couldn’t have been higher. And I say with complete confidence that when Heath Ledger removed his mask and told William Fincher that whatever doesn’t kill you simply makes you… stranger, all expectations were completely shattered.

The make-up, the mannerisms, the score, the bass in Ledger’s voice – it’s fucking perfect, something that will be forever imprinted in my movie freaked mind.

If Nolan revolutionized the comic book movie with Batman Begins, then he completely redefined it with The Dark Knight. Everything about it bleeds perfection. It is a master at the top of his game, effortlessly flexing his limitless skill. The action sequences, the deception, the acting, the villainy, Wally Pfister’s ice cold lensing – much has been written about the achievements of The Dark Knight, and this brief review is, quite simply, more of the same. Will The Dark Knight Rises be better? Honestly, I doubt it. But hell, how could it be? A

Inception (2010)

As he got close to wrapping Insomnia, Nolan pitched the concept of his next movie, Inception to Warner Bros., who said they were eager to read a script. Nolan promised them a draft as soon as Insomnia was finished, and nearly 10 years later, Inception finally hit the screens. And if you think about it, it's completely understandable that Nolan took so long to develop such a remarkable film. If he changed anything (literally… anything), then that would alter the entire script. A new line of dialogue, an added subtle gesture, Inception is a series of chain reactions unveiling before us, and to amend one of them in the slightest is to change the path entirely.

Making a movie about dreams lends itself to so many opportunities, because, really, a dream can be anything, and when filmed, you can do anything with it. What Inception gets right is its immaculate leveling of restrain and bombast. It knows when to hush, and it knows when to huff and puff.

Like virtually every other film on this list, the first time I saw Inception, I sat dumbfounded in amazement. Not since 2001: A Space Odyssey had I witnessed a natural phenomenon like gravity used as effectively as it was here. I knew, in that first viewing, that I was watching something that would stand the test of time. It would go on to evoke its fair share of detractors, sure, but Inception is the kind of movie we’re going to be talking about as long as we’re talking about movies. It’s the difference between science fiction and sci-fi. It is, may I dare say, a game changer to the film artform. A

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Four more days, folks. Four. More. Days.

In Summation

Masterful

Memento

Inception

Great

Following

Insomnia

Batman Begins

The Prestige

The Dark Knight

Good

None

Eh

None

Just Plain Bad

None

Previous Director Profiles include:

Woody Allen
Wes Anderson
Paul Thomas Anderson
Darren Aronofsky
the Coen Brothers
David Cronenberg
David Fincher
Stanley Kubrick
Ang Lee
Spike Lee 
David Mamet
Michael Mann
Martin Scorsese

Steven Soderbergh

Steven Spielberg
Oliver Stone

Next on the Week of Nolan:
Tuesday July 17
My Favorite Scene: Inception

Wednesday July 18
In Character: ???

Thursday July 19
The Polarization of The Prestige

Friday July 20
My Favorite Scene: Insomnia

Saturday July 21
Review of The Dark Knight Rises

Sunday July 22
Why You Need to Follow Following