In this new guide, we have decided to recommend the 10 best films of the enigmatic director Christopher Nolan. Let’s go find out
Controversial, visionary, complex. These are the terms we often hear associated with film director, screenwriter and producer Christopher Nolan. His films have allowed millions of viewers to be catapulted into the futureIn the pastin the dreams e in other worlds. Central are the issues related to flow of time and to metaphysics, reinterpreted in a more or less articulated and complex key. It cannot be said that his films are suitable for superficial viewing, perhaps like the ones you make while checking notifications on your smartphone. A small distraction and there is the risk that the whole logical thread of the film, which he had so passionate us a moment before, will be shattered. Despite this, Nolan is an artist worth discovering, which is why we have chosen for you ten of his films that you really shouldn’t miss. The titles are inserted in order of release and not of preference; choose the one that piques your interest, you’ll probably end up enjoying them all.
10) Memo | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
We open this section by presenting one of Nolan’s first artistic projects: Memento. Released in 2000, the film is still regarded today one of his best creations. The feature film tells of Leonard “Lenny” Shelby, a former detective forced to live with short-term memory loss. To help himself remember, he usually takes pictures, gets tattoos and writes down everything that happens to him. Thanks to these tricks, he knows that his problem was caused by the attack of two criminals, who also killed and raped his wife. The purpose of man’s life is precisely to take revenge. Memento is the starting point of the director’s style, far from that linearity usually used in the cinematographic field and from which even we spectators find it difficult to detach ourselves. Memento, based on a short story by the director’s brother, Jonathan Nolanis interpreted by Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano e Mark Boone Junior.
9) Insomnia | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
We continue our journey through Nolan’s works, suggesting a remake of a Norwegian film of the same name, Insomnia, originally directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg in 1997. Released in 2002, the film is about the detective Will Dormerinterpreted by Al Pacino, sent to Alaska to investigate the murder of a young woman. During a patrol, the man inadvertently kills a colleague with whom he had recently quarreled. Afraid of what happened, Will will decide not to confess. To support Al Pacino we will find Robin Williamsin a completely new guise. Nolan has in fact decided to offer the villain to the actor, precisely to show him to the public through a light far removed from the one in which we were used to seeing him.
8) Batman Begins | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
In this ranking, another of the films that made Nolan’s name great, that is Batman Beginsthe film dedicated to the superhero Batman, of 2005. It is the first chapter of a trilogy, composed by The dark Knight e The Dark Knight Rises. It could not but be a success, given the names that made up the cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman e Morgan Freeman. The film tells about Bruce Wayne, an American multi-billionaire with a tormented past, eager for revenge. His goal? Joe Chill, guilty of killing his parents. A series of circumstances will bring him back to Gotham City after a long period of absence. He will find a different city, suffocated by crime. The film achieved extraordinary success thanks to the fantastic work in front of and behind the cameras, which made Batman Begins an unforgettable film even for non-superhero lovers.
7) The Prestige | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
We continue this journey through Nolan’s best feature films, advising you The Prestige. The 2006 film is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Priest. We are in Victorian-era London, a time when Robert Angel ed Alfred Borden, two magicians-illusionists, challenge each other every evening in a battle of illusions and shows bordering on reality. After a series of sad events, the competition becomes a duel, the duel soon becomes an obsession. Almost losing the light of reason, the two begin to face each other with tests on the borderline between life and death. The success of the film was yet another test of Nolan’s abilities. In fact, the director managed to visually narrate a story that is difficult to transpose, as it is narrated through the pages of the diaries of the two protagonists. The result is a film which, while taking its cue from an already existing story, does not betray Nolan’s vision and his style. The protagonists of The Prestige are played by Christian Bale e Hugh Jackman. By their side Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hallwith the participation of David Bowieas Nikola Tesla.
6) The Dark Knight | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
The Dark Knight is the second chapter of the trilogy dedicated to Batman, which began with Batman Begins and ended with The Dark Knight Rises. This second part is imbued with emotion above all because it is one of the last films to which Heath Ledger took part, before his untimely death. The one in The Dark Knight is probably the part that made the actor unforgettable, masterfully slipping into the role of Joker, a crazed criminal who will come face to face with Batman after committing a robbery in a bank corrupted by the mafia. Alongside Heath Ledger, we find ourselves Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman e Morgan Freemanbut also Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal e Monica Gabriela Curnen. Upon its release, in 2008, it confirmed itself as the most successful superhero film, thanks to its incredible box office receipts and two Academy Awards.
5) Inception | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
Lovers of Christopher Nolan’s works probably took the presence of this film in this column for granted. After all, how could we fail to mention Inception, a film that the director both wrote and directed in 2010. With the possibility of being able to transform one of his ideas into a cinematographic work, Nolan returns to one of the themes that they are close to his heart, developed in an atypical and stratified way: the dream. The film tells about Dominic “Dom” Cobb, a man with the extraordinary ability to fit into other people’s dreams, so as to reveal their deepest secrets, rooted in the subconscious. One day he is contacted by Saito, a powerful Japanese businessman, who entrusts him with the mission of entering his mind, to perform an extraction. However, not everything will go as planned. Inception was yet another extraordinarily successful film by the director, allowing him to win 4 Oscars: Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound e Best Sound Editing. The film helped make its protagonist, Leonardo DiCaprio, even more famous and appreciated in the world of cinema. At his side we find Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Elliot Page, Marion Cotillard e Tom Hardy.
4) The Dark Knight Rises | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
Let’s now move on to the last chapter of the trilogy that made Christopher Nolan a masterful director even when it comes to superheroes: The Dark Knight Rises. In this 2012 film, Christian Bale returns as Batman or rather, will be forced to do so after being out of circulation for eight years. The reason for the return? A new masked criminal, by name Bane, able to break that period of peace that had reigned over Gotham City up to that moment. Despite the heavy shadow that the previous chapter could have cast on this new film, The Dark Knight – The Return still succeeds in its intent to create a respectable show worthy of the other parts that make up the trilogy. It must not have been easy for Nolan to return to the set of this film after the extraordinary success of the previous one and above all after the untimely death of Ledger. Yet he succeeds, winning a Saturn Award and an Afi Awards. This new film sees among the new entries Tom Hardyas the criminal Bane e Anne Hathaway in those of Catwoman.
3) Interstellar | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
Interstellar it is probably one of the director’s best known films, so much so that it received four Oscar nominations, winning in the section Best special effects. The film, released in 2014, remained and still remains in the hearts of audiences and critics. The protagonists Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain e Michael Caine, project us into a difficult 21st century, in which terrible sandstorms devastate agriculture. One day Joseph Cooper, a former NASA engineer, discovers that something is wrong with his daughter’s room: the sand deposited is able to form binary coordinates that allow man access to a secret NASA center. Right here Joseph will discover the existence of space-time doors, useful for traveling to different areas of the universe.
2) Dunkirk | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
Another film, very lucky, which deserves to be recommended is Dunkirk. The film, set during the Second World War, takes us back to 1940, during the evacuation of Dunkirk, a naval evacuation plan of the Allied forces, forced to withdraw, after having been reached and surrounded by German armored units. It is an ensemble film, played by Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D’Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy e Kenneth Branagh. Also in this case, Nolan decides to put his talents to good use, telling a story from three different points of view: the land, the sea and the air. But that’s not all, because for each of the three points of view, the director has chosen a different time frame, of different lengths which however intertwine with each other. It’s up to the viewer to recreate the logical story arc. The film was nominated for many awards, winning well 3 Oscar.
1) Hold | Christopher Nolan’s top 10 movies
We close with Tenet, one of Nolan’s latest efforts, which he wrote, directed and…