Christopher Nolan Birthday Special: From Following to Dunkirk, Ranking All His Films From Worst to Best

Christopher Nolan...the genius film-maker who has somehow managed to bring intelligence into mainstream cinema. Nolan is one of the few directors in world cinema who can bring in crowds in the theatres just by his own brand name. His movies may have an ensemble cast, but the huge attractor about his movies is the director himself. And he is not exactly about playing the rules of mainstream cinema to the T. Look at the case of his last film, Dunkirk, where the biggest star of the cast - Tom Hardy - has his face covered 95% of the screentime and the narrative was led by three relative newcomers. Christopher Nolan: Villains Defined The Dark Knight Trilogy More Than Batman.

Right from his debut film, Following in 1998, Christopher Nolan has carved a niche for himself in Hollywood. He, along with his brother and frequent collaborator and writer, Jonathan, engage themselves in creating complex narratives etched within the framework of mainstream cinema. Which is why, most of his movies offer us a lot of new things to learn even after multiple viewings.

Currently, Nolan is busy preparing for his next, Tenet. Reportedly, a spy thriller made on a huge canvas, Tenet has an enviable cast in John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh. Bollywood actress Dimple Kapadia also has an important role in the film. Needless to say, Tenet is highly anticipated among fans. Dimple Kapadia's First Look from Christopher Nolan's Tenet Gets LEAKED - Check out Pictures.

In this special feature, we look at all the films Christopher Nolan had directed, and rank them from Worst to Best! You can beg to differ about the ranking in the comments section below.

#10 Following

"You can tell a lot about people from their stuff."

Christopher Nolan's directorial debut is a little gem, that has some thrilling elements of noir, hampered slightly by the rawness of the then-newbie filmmaker. The film is about a writer following people to get ideas for his next work, only to be on the receiving end of a stranger's intrigue. It uses Nolan's now-famous non-linear format of narration for the first time. 6 Ways How Christopher Nolan Has Influenced Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Varun Dhawan That Would Make His Fans Cringe.

#9 Insomnia

"I wanna sleep..Just let me sleep..."

When we talk about Christopher Nolan movies, Insomnia often gets missed out. Which is a travesty, since this underrated thriller keeps you on your toes with its twisty narrative, morally ambiguous leads and terrific performances, with the always-affable Robin Williams cast as a killer. Also, the cinematography is gorgeous, more so, thanks to the locales where the film has been shot.

#8The Dark Knight Rises

"And yes, Mr Wayne, it does come in black."

The Dark Knight Rises has its fair share of problems, but its biggest weakness was following up on The Dark Knight, arguably the best superhero film ever made. Sure there are loopholes and some of the character arcs developed are bizarre to say, the least. Not to mention, how the movie turns Bane, a really formidable villain, into a mere sidekick by the end. But The Dark Knight Rises is also Christopher Nolan at his most potboiler form, and is still a fun watch. Also, the opening sequence involving a plane-jack is one of the best opening scenes in any film, dammit!

#7 Dunkirk

"Christ. I mean, you can practically see it from here."

"What?"

"Home."

Okay, here's a confession - when I had first watched Dunkirk in theatre, I was completely blown away by Nolan's wizardry in display that I gave full marks to the film in my review then. Now that the zeal has cooled down, I have to admit that Dunkirk isn't exactly a rewatchable film, a strange anomaly for a Nolan film. The technical finesse still stands, but the narrative, recreating an important chapter of World War II, doesn't really encourage multiple viewings, especially on the small screen. Unlike, say, Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan or Oliver Stone's Platoon.

#6 Batman Begins

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me."

The less-talked-about TDK movie is a fine step towards the greatness that the franchise will move towards. Exploring the origins of Batman in a more grounded manner, Batman Begins is visceral, thrilling and at times, even scary too (when the movie relishes in Scarecrow's toxins). Sure, the third act and Katie Holmes female lead come across as weak spots, but overall, Batman Begins is a good superhero film, with Christian Bale doing a fine job as the main lead.

#5 The Prestige

"Making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call 'The Prestige'."

The Prestige, perhaps, is Christopher Nolan's movie to have the best quotes (one of his movie's criticisms is that the dialogues aren't strong enough). It also boasts of one of the best twists of Hollywood cinema, living upto to the idea of making a movie on the sleight of hands. What's more, Nolan actually gives away the twist in the opening act itself, only we were an ignoramus lot to have disregarded it. Something, Nolan knew would happen and therefore, created an intricate narrative of deception, one-upmanship and murky character motivations. Not to mention, a doomed romance thrown in too. The Prestige also boasts of bringing out great performances from the cast, which includes Sir Michael Caine, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johannson, Rebecca Hall and David Bowie.

#4 Interstellar

"We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars, now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt."

Christopher Nolan's most ambitious movie, perhaps, Interstellar is not an easy movie to decipher. Despite several characters dropping enough exposition dump, Interstellar still leaves out several blanks for you to fill yourselves, which includes a very divisive third act. Which is exactly why the movie deserves multiple viewings, and trust me, you will learn something new about it every time you get to watch it. The visuals are truly out of the world (pun intended), especially the sequences at that water planet, and the movie makes good use of its ensemble cast. There should also be a separate chapter on how Nolan uses his frequent composer, Hans Zimmer, to some brilliant, Easter-Egg-level use here!

#3 Inception

"You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling!:

'Was it a dream or not?' If the final scene of the film still haunts you even after nearly a decade, that is the kind of impact this sci-fi thriller has on you. Boasting of a terrific performance from Leonardo DiCaprio and some mind-boggling visual effects (most of them practical BTW), Inception is blockbuster cinema at its most bizarrely entertaining form. Who thought even dreams could have so many layers, just like the movie's layered narrative!

#2 The Dark Knight

"How about a magic trick? I'm going to make this pencil disappear."

Sorry Avengers: EndGame, but even after a decade, The Dark Knight continues to remain the best superhero movie ever made. From having a terrifying, yet mesmerising antagonist in the late Heath Ledger's Joker to a brilliantly subversive narrative that thrills you every minute, The Dark Knight has every ingredient that makes it one of the rewatchable films ever made. While Ledger walks away with most of the plaudits, deservingly at that, special mention also be given to Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent, Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon and of course, the in-form Christian Bale as Batman.

#1 Memento

"Just because there are things I don't remember doesn't make my actions meaningless."

Christopher Nolan has always been a fan of non-linear narrative, but it is Memento that puts this style to the best use. Using two time-frames parallelly, Nolan creates an engaging mystery drama that tricks you into falling for its red herrings. It makes you think of being a reverse suspense thriller (showing the 'hero' kill the 'villain' in the first scene and then go back to see how he came to the conclusion). Only to have a terrific rug-pull towards the end, that makes you watch the whole movie again, and see how you missed it. And then marvel at how the Nolan brothers pulled off one of the greatest cinematic heists right under your watchful eye!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 30, 2019 06:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).