With Christopher Nolan’s latest film Oppenheimer playing in cinemas, it’s time to revisit my ranking of the auteur’s stellar filmography. Along with Quentin Tarantino, Nolan is my favourite director working today, both consistently making thought-provoking, fearsomely original films with neither yet to make ‘a bad film’ to date. Even when Nolan isn’t firing on full cylinders, his work is still effortlessly striking.
11) Tenet
Tenet plays to Nolan’s strengths with the jaw-dropping visual effects and high-stakes action sequences but also showcases his worst qualities. The high-concept storyline packs plenty of twists and the film requires multiple viewings to truly unpack, but there’s no denying the third act falters in some of its logic and is overly expository. The characters also just generally aren’t particularly well-developed and the film is more an exercise in spectacle and ambition.
10) Dunkirk
Whilst there is undoubtedly a lot to admire in Dunkirk, it also has many flaws. While the aim of having an objective viewpoint is to be lauded, the tone of the film just feels a little off and I struggle to find an emotional response. It struggles to make full use of its scope and the I’d still recommend going and seeing it as it is a story that needs to be told and there are quite a few nice moments but ultimately, the film left me rather cold in its depiction of this momentous event. Also, it is his newest film and I have only seen it once so perhaps it warrants further viewings.
9) Memento
Memento certainly made a statement with its unconventional and bold backwards-storytelling, as well as its experimentation with colour. Guy Pearce is terrific as the amnesiac Leonard and the film barrels towards a tragic and seriously intelligent conclusion.
8) Batman Begins
The film that kick-started the Dark Knight trilogy and propelled Nolan into the mainstream set an unsurpassed precedent for future comic-book films. Nolan’s decision to frame Batman Begins as an origin story was a first for the genre, as was its sense of realism that granted the superhero more weight. The performances are excellent across the board and Liam Neeson’s villain particularly underrated. Compared to the rest of Nolan’s films, it ranks lower due to its more simplistic plotting.
7) Insomnia
Wrongly regarded as Nolan’s weakest film, Insomnia is a fantastic film. With excllent performances across the board, particularly Robin Williams in an atypical villainous performance, Nolan effortlessly invokes a sense of paranoia and regularly questions the morality of the character’s decisions. One also has to remember Insomnia is a remake, so for it to not just be good, but great is no short feat.
6) The Dark Knight Rises
An underrated trilogy closer, The Dark Knight Rises is a far more conventional comic-book film that provides a fitting and tension-fuelled closing arc for Christian Bale’s Caped Crusader. Tom Hardy’s Bane is the antithesis of Heath Ledger’s Joker in that he is a physical villain and the film ramps up its nihilistic destruction of Gotham City in a riveting fashion for its almost three hour run time.
5) Interstellar
Interstellar is pretty much perfect for most of its lengthy 168 minute run time, until it reaches the last half an hour or so which become ridiculously complicated, bamboozling and its last scene a little too neat. But for the most part, Nolan doesn’t put a foot wrong and Interstellar is extremely atmospheric, with some stunning cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema in his first collaboration with Nolan after departing from Wally Pfister who shot the rest of his preceding films. Matthew McConaughey gives a fantastic performance as the endlessly empathetic Cooper. There’s awe-inspiring shot after awe-inspiring shot, topped by Hans Zimmer’s beautiful score.
4) Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer is a tension-fuelled, thought-provoking minor-key masterpiece and left me stone-cold with its characters haunting deliberations over the consequences of their work. The script is brilliantly written, constantly ramping in tension and Jennifer Lame’s editing is a monumental achievement. Cillian Murphy puts in a career-best performance as the father of the atomic bomb and Robert Downey Jr is another highlight with his slippery, atypical portrayal of Lewis Strauss. The film is beautifully shot by Hoyte van Hoytema and Ludwig Göransson’s score is the glue that holds the film together.
3) The Prestige
A perfect film, The Prestige is a dramatic masterclass that’s smaller in scale than the films he would go onto make. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale both give tremendous performances in the lead role and the late David Bowie also stands out in a small role as Tesla. The film has many revelatory twists and features one of my favourite twist endings.
2) The Dark Knight
Not only the best comic-book film of all time, but also one of the best crime films, Nolan continues his quest for superhero realism. Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker is nothing short of incredible and the film moves from one action sequence that’s stood the test of time to another. It still is a staggering achievement.
1) Inception
An incredibly layered and influential effort, Inception is breathtaking throughout and quite possibly, my favourite film. Nolan proves blockbusters can be smart and treats his audience intelligently. With an ending that continues to be debated, the performances are terrific across-the-board and many of the images will sear into your brain. I don’t think Nolan’s crowning achievement will ever be topped.
What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments or tweet @TheFilmMeister
The Film Meister 
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