We put Christopher Nolan’s works in the correct order. “The Odyssey” will be added in 2026.
12. Tenet (2020)
Kenneth Branagh plays a Russian oligarch, and the ending of the James Bond homage looks like a “Halo” video game. But who actually understands the inversion principle? Not even the experts on Reddit can figure it out.
11. Dunkirk (2017)
Hailed by Quentin Tarantino as the best war film of the century. A very good film – if Nolan hadn’t decided to use his principle of not only different narrative levels, but also time levels here too. Boatswain, pilot, the troops on land – if all the timelines do not take place in parallel, the causal connections are not obvious.
10. The Dark Knight (2008)
A revenge drama whose significance is slightly heightened by the sudden death of Heath Ledger. The conflict between Batman and Joker, in which the boundaries of morality are blurred, reminded many reviewers of Michael Mann’s “Heat” (1995).
Because Nolan relied entirely on realism here instead of magical superpower hierarchies, the rise to power of various antagonists is explained with complicated money transfers – the first 45 minutes are spent on that. Ledger’s acclaimed Joker also lacks originality. The smacking clown appears like a cross between Hannibal Lecter, Blofeld and Nicholson’s Jack Torrance.
09. Following (1998)
Nolan’s directorial debut, 70 minutes, produced for $6,000 and shot in black and white. A likeable film noir variation. Here there is already a game with different time sequences, Nolan’s penchant for shifted narrative levels comes into its own. Good twist.
08. Oppenheimer (2023)
The biopic format forces Nolan into a format beyond the fantastic for the first time. Blessed with many Oscars, the work is less dedicated to the inner workings of the father of the atomic bomb than to researchers’ fascination with the power that comes from the sun. Spike Lee judged that Noland could have shown the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki at least for a few minutes. But that was never his concern. A good, but not special film.
07. Inception (2010)
Nolan’s most difficult work to understand, next to Tenet. What dream level are we in right now? 1,2,3,4? Are we already in limbo? The shortcoming of “Inception”: The memory archeologies often seem like vehicles for elaborate set pieces, chase scenes, storming the snow base… like James Bond, an action film.
Leonardo Di Caprio plays the same tried-and-tested role for which he would win an Oscar years later: the neurotic who sweats easily.
06. Insomnia (2002)
The greatest achievement in the remake of the Scandinavian thriller “Death Sleep” by Erik Skjoldbjærg: How the 32-year-old Nolan manages to get Al Pacino’s best performance out of him – and pushes Robin Williams to the acting peak of his career, casting him against his own type, as a villain. The never-setting northern lights of the polar region reveal all sins here; cops and criminals are more similar than you think.
05. Memento (2000)
Nolan’s Hollywood debut was a stylistic masterpiece. Not a “whodunnit” but a “whydunnit” told backwards AND forwards at the same time. The characters alone, with their fluid identities, lack a bit of depth.
How important are memories, can we trust them? How grateful can one be for the grace of forgetting? Ultimately, it’s about the desire buried within all of us to break out of eternal cycles.
04. Batman Begins (2005)
A benchmark for all superhero films that are dedicated to the prequels. So exciting that nothing makes you long for when the man in the cape will finally make his first appearance, when the vagabond ninja student Bruce Wayne will finally become Batman. In fact, Batman only appears here for 20 minutes.
03. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
After his girlfriend’s death, Batman is a wreck. The suicide note scene with Michael Caine is heartbreaking. In the end, Batman welcomes death with open arms. Or will he survive the explosion?
The accusation that Christopher Nolan makes emotionless films can no longer be sustained here. Not only visually impressive (the downfall of the football stadium, yes, the entire wicked city), but also with good character development. And metaphysics has never been more gripping than the moment Bruce Wayne conquers the well.
02. Interstellar (2014)
Most critics were more concerned with plot holes than wormholes, but beyond all logic, the space and time travel film reflects Nolan’s strengths: the scenes on the alien planets are breathtaking (hardly any green screens), the effect of time jumps in space on family development on Earth is deeply disturbing – and the first scene with the astronaut (Matt Damon) awakened from a deep sleep is deeply moving.
How lonely space pioneers can be. Emotional cinema that never becomes pathetic or embarrassing.
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01. The Prestige (2006)
Nikola Tesla, the missing hats, the miracle of electricity, “the transported man”: Nolan’s last non-blockbuster tells the story of the world of magic and is at the same time a hymn to magic that only the cinema can offer.
Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale as fanatical magicians who are not afraid of murder in their search for the perfect trick. Even someone like David Bowie, who made breathtaking performances throughout his career, was never better presented than here: Take a look at his first appearance, walking through the lightning field.