One of the greatest filmmakers of the 21st century, Christopher Nolan has directed some of the best movies in cinematic history. Among his prominent films is the Batman trilogy, starring Christian Bale in the role of the iconic superhero. But Nolan’s body of work is deeper and wider than franchise favourites — a testament to which is the tremendous critical appreciation that his latest work, Oppenheimer, has received.
Nolan is often described as an auteur. His movies are visually stunning and often thought-provoking. Though sometimes difficult to understand, his style of direction does incredible justice to the stories he presents on the big screen. He is a master in his craft, which can be easily understood from the wide range of genres he has successfully dabbled in — neo-noir, action, crime, psychological thriller and science fiction.
The cinematography in nearly all of Nolan’s films has received overwhelming critical praise. Long takes and wide shots are signatures of his style. His films are also known for his impressive and revolutionary use of CGI — though he reportedly didn’t use it to recreate the famous Trinity Test moment for Oppenheimer.
Such is Nolan’s impression on researchers and film critics that there are books dedicated to the exploration of his style, philosophy and cinematic themes. Among them are Robbie B. H. Goh’s Christopher Nolan: Filmmaker and Philosopher and The Philosophy of Christopher Nolan, which contains 16 essays by professional philosophers and film theorists.
Besides directing, Nolan has written the script of all his films, except Insomnia (2002). He is also a producer of his own films, barring three. The only movie he produced but didn’t direct was Man of Steel (2013), the first film in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and the one that catapulted Henry Cavill to global stardom.
In all, Nolan has received five nominations each at Academy Awards, BAFTAs and Golden Globes. His movies have been nominated (and won) even more times.
Christopher Nolan movies in order of release year
Including Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan has directed 12 movies in his career. He has often worked with the same actors in multiple movies. Michael Caine has appeared in eight of his 12 films and Cillian Murphy in six, including the titular role in Oppenheimer.
Nolan has also been credited as the executive producer of a handful of DCEU movies such as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021). Before making his big-screen debut, Nolan produced, wrote and directed short films such as Tarantella (1990) and Doodlebug (1997). In 2015, he released another short film, Quay.
But it is the big screen movies Nolan directed that are collectively considered his tour de force. In the order of their year of release, they are:
1998 — Following
2000 — Memento
2002 — Insomnia
2005 — Batman Begins
2006 — The Prestige
2008 — The Dark Knight
2010 — Inception
2012 — The Dark Knight Rises
2014 — Interstellar
2017 — Dunkirk
2020 — Tenet
2023 — Oppenheimer
Christopher Nolan movies ranked according to IMDb ratings
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The Dark Knight
IMDb rating: 9.0
Release date: 18 July 2008
Cast: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Morgan Freeman
Synopsis: The second film in Nolan’s Batman film trilogy revolves around a war Bruce Wayne/Batman (Bale) wages against organised crime in Gotham. But in his path stands a maniacal Joker (Ledger) who pushes the superhero to his psychological limits.
Oscar awards won: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (posthumous) for Heath Ledger; Best Achievement in Sound Editing for Richard King
Image credit: © TM & DC Comics.2008 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved./IMDb
Inception
IMDb rating: 8.8
Release date: 16 July 2010
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Michael Caine
Synopsis: Dom Cobb (DiCaprio) is a thief who steals corporate secrets through a technology that lets him enter his target’s dreams. He is tasked by Saito (Watanabe) to infiltrate the mind of Robert Michael Fischer (Murphy) and plant an idea that ends the latter’s company. Dom agrees, but the mission becomes extremely risky because of his own tragic past and his criminal history.
Oscar awards won: Best Achievement in Cinematography for Wally Pfister; Best Achievement in Sound Mixing for Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo, and Ed Novick; Best Achievement in Sound Editing for Richard King; Best Achievement in Visual Effects for Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley, Pete Bebb and Paul J. Franklin.
Image credit: Stephen Vaughan – © 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc./IMDb
Oppenheimer
IMDb rating: 8.7
Release date: 21 July 2023
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh
Synopsis: J. Robert Oppenheimer (Murphy) is tasked with the Manhattan Project during World War II to create the world’s first atomic bomb. He goes about his task and works on the project for years that culminates on 16 July 1945 with the Trinity test.
Image credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pic/Melinda Sue Gordon – © Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved./IMDb
Interstellar
IMDb rating: 8.7
Release date: 7 November 2014
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Ellen Burstyn, Bill Irwin, Matt Damon, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Caine
Synopsis: Earth has increasingly become unlivable in the near future. Cooper (McConaughey), a farmer who once was a pilot for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and scientist Dr Amelia Brand (Hathaway) embark on a risky mission to find a new home for the people via a newly discovered wormhole.
Oscar awards won: Best Achievement in Visual Effects for Paul J. Franklin, Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, Scott R. Fisher
Image credit: Melinda Sue Gordon – © 2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. and Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved./IMDb
The Prestige
IMDb rating: 8.5
Release date: 20 October 2006
Cast: Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, Andy Serkis, Rebecca Hall, David Bowie
Synopsis: Alfred Borden (Bale) and Rupert Angier (Jackman) are two magicians in 19th-century England. Their bitter rivalry, which started with a tragic incident, and attempt to create a perfect illusion puts them on the path of destruction.
Image credit: Francois Duhamel – © Touchstone Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures. All Rights Reserved/IMDb
Memento
IMDb rating: 8.4
Release date: 25 May 2001
Cast: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano, Mark Boone Junior
Synopsis: Leonard (Pearce) has a singular objective — find his wife’s murderer. But it becomes seemingly impossible because of his short-term memory loss from an accident due to which he is unable to remember anything for more than 15 minutes.
Image credit: IMDb
The Dark Knight Rises
IMDb rating: 8.4
Release date: 20 July 2012
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman
Synopsis: The final instalment of Nolan’s Batman trilogy is set eight years after the events of the second film. Batman (Bale) is forced to come out of a self-imposed exile and join forces with a cunning cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Hathaway) to take down a merciless terrorist named Bane (Hardy), who is connected to Bruce’s past.
Image credit: Ron Phillips – © 2012 – WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND LEGENDARY PICTURES FUNDING, LLC/IMDb
Batman Begins
IMDb rating: 8.2
Release date: 15 June 2005
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Morgan Freeman
Synopsis: The first film in Nolan’s Batman trilogy centres on a young Bruce Wayne (Bale) who undergoes martial arts training in the Far East under Henri Ducard (Neeson). Upon his return to Gotham City, he becomes the Batman to fight crime and focuses on one of his most formidable villains — Dr Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow (Murphy) — not knowing that an even bigger threat is walking in the shadows.
Image credit: © 2005 – Warner Bros. Entertainment/IMDb
Dunkirk
IMDb rating: 7.8
Release date: 21 July 2017
Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy
Synopsis: Dunkirk tells the story of one of the biggest rescue operations during World War II. Over 300,000 Allied troops are trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk in France, with the German army marching towards them and the Luftwaffe bombing their ships. Britain then tries to evacuate all the troops using every naval and civilian vessel they could find.
Oscar awards won: Best Achievement in Film Editing for Lee Smith; Best Achievement in Sound Editing for Richard King and Alex Gibson; Best Achievement in Sound Mixing for Gregg Landaker, Gary A. Rizzo, Mark Weingarten
Image credit: Melinda Sue Gordon – © 2016 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., Ratpac-Dune Entertainment LLC and Ratpac Entertainment, LLC/IMDb
Following
IMDb rating: 7.5
Release date: 5 November 1999 (UK)
Cast: Jeremy Theobald, Alex Haw, Lucy Russell, Dick Bradsell
Synopsis: A struggling writer (Theobald) follows strangers around London in order to find inspiration to write. One day, he unknowingly follows a stranger (Haw), who turns out to be a thief. Gradually, the writer is drawn into the dark world of the thief and finds himself trapped.
Image credit: IMDb
Tenet
IMDb rating: 7.3
Release date: 3 September 2020
Cast: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine
Synopsis: An unnamed CIA operative (Washington) is recruited by an organisation called Tenet, which sends him on a mission to stop a renegade Russian oligarch named Andrei Sator (Branagh) from starting World War III. But the key to preventing the disaster for the operative is for him to master “time inversion.”
Oscar award won: Best Achievement in Visual Effects for Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley, Scott R. Fisher
Image credit: IMDb
Insomnia
IMDb rating: 7.2
Release date: 24 May 2002
Cast: Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Martin Donovan
Synopsis: Los Angeles Police Department detective Will Dormer (Pacino) loses sleep after an incident in Alaska in which he accidentally shot his partner dead while on a mission to nab a murder suspect. As he tries to hide evidence that would lead investigators to him, the suspect, Walter Finch (Williams), calls Will and offers a deal that might keep both out of the reach of the law.
Image credit: © 2002 Warner Home Video. All rights reserved./IMDb
Hero image: Melinda Sue Gordon – © 2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. and Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved./IMDb; Featured image: Melissa Moseley – © 2010 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved/IMDb
This article first appeared here.
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Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
