Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay In spite of the hazardous circumstances for theatergoers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Christopher Nolan has remained steadfast in his desire for his newest feature film “Tenet” to be shown on the big screen. Alas, after it first opened in the United States a couple of weeks ago, I ultimately found the time and gumption to go see it.
So, I shall endeavor to share my thoughts on all eleven Christopher Nolan films. To begin with his first: “Following.” Released in 1999 on an exceedingly slim budget of six-thousands dollars, Nolan’s directorial debut remains an apt predecessor to his later works. Specifically, Nolan’s writing of the entanglement of the Young Man, Cobb, and the Blonde in a triple-cross ploy was adequate enough to keep me engaged for the 69-minute runtime. However, “Following” is a victim of every single Nolan film that came after it. So, while it is a good first film, it for me lacks enough to entice me to return to it in the future. Nolan’s second feature film, “Memento,” was an unexpected whirlwind for me. I knew nothing of this film before watching it, and was rather impressed by Nolan’s reliance on unorthodox editing to tell the story of anterograde amnesiac Leonard and his relentless pursuit for his wife’s murderer-rapist. Looking back on this film, it is clearly an indicator of not just Nolan’s unique storytelling but also his technical prowess as a filmmaker. And while it certainly is not my favorite Nolan film, it remains a fascinating one that shows just how early in his career that he is here to stay. Now onto (perhaps) one of the more controversial aspects of my thoughts on Nolan’s filmography: I really liked “Insomnia.” Being a rabid fan of Al Pacino in other films such as “Scarface,” “Scent of a Woman,” “Carlito’s Way” and “You Don’t Know Jack,” I found myself far from disappointed while watching Nolan’s third feature film. Not only does Pacino impress with his portrayal of insomniac and homicide detective Will Dormer, but Nolan’s sophisticated storytelling really shined through here for me. The tone of the film, despite shifting from a murder mystery to a psychological drama halfway through, remains consistently evocative and entertaining. However, the hidden gem of “Insomnia” is the one and only Robin Williams’s performance as the prime suspect and Dormer’s personal tormenter Walter Finch. Nolan himself has stated that Williams’s role in this film is one of his more underrated performances due to his association with more comedic roles. And I could not agree more. Watching Robin Williams psychologically manipulate Al Pacino reminded me how good he was in an episode of “Law & Order: SVU” where he played another twisted and manipulative character. Needless to say, I wish Williams had given us more than a few characters like this in his career. Before I continue, I must note that I will be covering the “Dark Knight Trilogy” towards the end of this blog. But I digress… I have another (certainly) controversial opinion about Nolan’s filmography: I found “The Prestige” to be overall unenjoyable and convoluted. Before I go any further, I would like to preface my criticisms of this film by saying that I have no critiques with the cinematography, production value, acting, or story direction. My primary issue with “The Prestige” is the character work in the film. Yes, I agree that Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale effectively portray the pair of competitive, vindictive, and narcissistic magicians who take their rivalry several steps too far. I also enjoy Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and Andy Serkis in their respective supporting roles. That all being said, I find this film unenjoyable as a matter of personal taste. In other words, I lacked empathy for Jackman and Bale’s characters and therefore remained uninvested in the story from start to finish. Ultimately, all I cared about was seeing who would “win” in the end. [SPOILER WARNING] So when it is revealed in the third act that Jackman’s Robert Angier was killing clones of himself via his “Transported Man” experiment while simultaneously concealing his true identity as wealthy socialite Lord Caldlow, I was underwhelmed. Furthermore, when it is revealed that Bale’s Alfred Borden was a shared identity between twins which allows one of them to escape death while the other is hung for murder, I lacked any energy to care anymore. I thought to myself, “I hate both of these people, so kill ‘em both! Why should one get to live?!?” But I digress. To put it simply, I do not like “The Prestige” and doubt I ever will. So, moving on to a Nolan film I did enjoy: “Inception.” A film that was the subject of countless Internet memes and inside references that the story itself had been hidden from me. Which is how I recommend any newcomer to Nolan watch this film. This 2010 science-fiction film was a visually stunning, action-packed, and emotionally powerful story about a man who will do anything to return to his family include risk the lives of his friends and colleagues. Leonardo DiCaprio (unsurprisingly) was compelling and artful as Dom Cobb, and his performance certainly carried the film for me. And while I enjoyed many of the supporting performances (notably Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, and Ken Watanabe), it was DiCaprio that put this film so high on my personal ranking of Nolan’s filmography. Having concluded the “Dark Knight Trilogy,” Nolan’s first post-Batman film stunned the world with its special effects and cinematography. 2014’s “Interstellar,” to be honest, is a difficult one for me because I love 75% of the movie but found the other 25% to be somewhat lackluster. That being said, I often struggle with this type of science-fiction film where the big problem is solved with some niche of time-travel or something like it (looking at you, “Tenet”!) because it is often not set up well enough beforehand. However, that criticism alone does not hurt “Interstellar” enough for me to not enjoy it. I think it is easily one of Matthew McConaughey’s best performances (I would also consider “A Time to Kill” and “The Lincoln Lawyer” to be up there, in case anybody was wondering). Also, I found the tidbits of world-building early on in the movie fascinating. I also really enjoyed Jessica Chastain’s performance in terms of her chemistry with McConaughey. Needless to say, “Interstellar” is a worthy addition to Nolan’s repertoire. Nolan’s second-most-recent film, “Dunkirk,” was the first Nolan film I have ever seen. As a huge fan of war movies, I was convinced enough by the trailer to go see this movie when it premiered while I was still in college. Not knowing virtually anything about Nolan’s style or voice as a filmmaker, I was thoroughly impressed by the visual storytelling, minimalist approach, sound design, atmosphere, and non-traditional take on war as less-than-glamorous. But I was certainly worried re-watching it earlier this year because I was genuinely concerned that it would not hold up with a second viewing due to its simple, straightforward manner. So, was I disappointed? Not in the slightest. Besides wishing I could watch it in a theater again, everything I loved about it the first time I saw it I loved once more. And while it certainly lacks some emotional depth and character work, it remains one of the better war films in the last decade for its reminder that war is not an automatic tale of victory. Before I provide my review of Nolan’s most recent release, I want to speak on the “Dark Knight Trilogy” as a whole. As I plan to write about 2005’s “Batman Begins” and 2008’s “The Dark Knight” at some point in the future, I will speak more generally about my experience with these three films. First, on “Batman Begins.” Having re-watched the original “X-Men” trilogy that came out around the same time not long before and being stunningly unimpressed, I was not thoroughly excited for another mid-2000s superhero movie. However, remembering my love for “Dunkirk,” I let myself get a little bit excited. And I am very grateful for my lowered expectations, because I came out of “Batman Begins” thrilled, impressed, and excited for more. Perhaps second only to Jon Favreau’s “Iron Man,” Nolan’s first Batman film will go down in history as one of the best superhero origin films ever made. Admittedly, I started becoming concerned about one hour into Nolan’s follow-up “The Dark Knight.” While the action set pieces were lots of fun and Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker was enticing and unsettling, I was not loving the beginning of this film as much as I loved the beginning of “Batman Begins.” It was not until the film turned into Batman’s race against time to save both Rachel Dawes (played expertly by Maggie Gyllenhaal) and Harvey Dent (played gracefully by Aaron Eckhart) that I realized that this was both a worthy sequel and an improvement over its predecessor. For many, it is Ledger’s philosophically-driven and mysterious villain that makes “The Dark Knight” one of the best comic book films ever made. For me, it is the emotional humanity under Batman’s moral struggles in tandem with Harvey Dent’s loss of faith in humanity. Above all, however, it is in “The Dark Knight” where Nolan’s capabilities as a filmmaker shine through the most. Finally, I have little to say about 2012’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” While there are elements of it that I think are just as good as its two predecessors, the conclusion to Nolan’s Batman trilogy remains the most problematic for me. It is wildly entertaining (largely due to Tom Hardy’s borderline-cartoonish take on Bane) and the action remains fun to watch, but I found all of the characters less engaging the third time around. So, for me, “The Dark Knight Rises” is a good but not a great movie. Whew! So many movies, and so much to say. And now, I wrap it all up with Nolan’s newest theatrical release: “Tenet.” My God, what a confusing mess of a film! I never thought Nolan’s writing could get more convoluted after “The Prestige” or “Inception,” but clearly I was dead wrong. The world that he builds in “Tenet” remains underexplored to the point of the audience lacking investment in what is happening on the screen. Furthermore, as a fan of John David Washington from Spike Lee’s 2018 feature “BlacKkKlansman” I was thoroughly underwhelmed by his character here, not to mention most of the supporting characters who tend to just come off as either two-dimensional or underdeveloped. I could say more, but I think I’ll just leave it at that for now. So, without further ado, here is my personal ranking of Christopher Nolan’s filmography thus far:
What is your favorite Nolan film? Does “The Dark Knight” just outshine all the rest? Which of my opinions on Nolan’s movies do you find utterly misguided or moronic? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, this has been… Yours Truly, Amateur Analyst
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Austin McManusI have no academic or professional background in film production or criticism; I simply love watching and talking about movies. Archives
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