Robert Pattinson and David Washington in Tenet.

The Prestige (2006)

Sandwiched between Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight, Nolan’s sci-fi psychological thriller, an adaptation of Christopher Priest’s 1995 book, fell prey to Nolan’s newfound myth after he reimagined superhero storytelling with the first instalment of the Christian Bale-starrer. Though Bale and Hugh Jackman made their magicians look believable, they could never achieve the larger-than-life personality of Batman Begins or the emotional and narrative velocity of Memento (2000), Christopher Nolan’s maiden collaboration as screenwriter with brother Jonathan Nolan.

Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman in The Prestige.

Insomnia (2002)

Nolan’s 2002 neo-noir psychological thriller is a worthy remake of Erik Skjoldbjaerg’s 1997 Norwegian film of the same name. But it’s just that — a great remake, and not by any stretch, a great film. While Al Pacino delivers a towering performance as detective Will Dormer, it’s Robin Williams who takes the cake as Walter Finch. Immortalized by his lighthearted roles, Insomnia gave Williams one of his most striking dark turns, on the lines of Heath Ledger’s casting in Nolan’s 2008 superhero film The Dark Knight.

Al Pacino and Robin Williams in Insomnia.

Following (1998)

Nolan’s directorial debut set the tone for some signature motifs — non-linear screenplay, the extensive use of black-and-white cinematography, and a tense and taut screenplay. Revolving around a man who blends into the crowd, it allowed Nolan to put his directorial voice at the front and centre. Given that he managed to can the filming in no budget, it’s also a masterclass in economy of operations. Despite its evident rough edges, Following remains a remarkably assured debut that hinted at the filmmaker Nolan would eventually become.

A still from Christopher Nolan’s 1998 directorial debut Following.

Batman Begins (2005)

Given his filmography till that point, nobody would have anticipated Nolan taking on Batman. After the farce that was Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin (1997), both DC, and superhero narratives at large, demanded a major intervention. Nolan not only managed to make Batman cerebral, but also steeped in heightened realism. By roping in two seasoned music composers with distinct voices — Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard — he deftly struck the perfect sweet spot between Batman and Bruce Wayne, the superhero and the human, permanently altering the tonalities and textures of the DC Universe since then.

Batman Begins released in 2005.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

While Batman Begins served as one of the best superhero origin stories of all time, its full potential was realized only seven years later with the threequel, The Dark Knight. Despite there being formidable antagonists in both the first instalments, it was only in the third part that the odds against Wayne seemed truly insurmountable because here, he was also stacked against the crushing of hope, a sense of self, and the caped crusader he once used to be.

Christian Bale as Batman in The Dark Knight Rises. (Photo: Warner Bros)

Interstellar (2014)

Arguably one of Nolan’s most ambitious visions yet, as the title suggests, Interstellar travelled across not only timelines, but also galaxies. A moving performance by Matthew McConaughey and a winning extended cameo by Matt Damon kept the film both grounded and immersive, but the jargon feels too distracting and some of the production design seems a bit synthetic in hindsight. Irrespective, Interstellar remains a leap of faith probably even too ambitious for a great mind like Nolan.

Matthew McConaughey in Interstellar.

Inception (2010)

In terms of ambition and execution, Inception lands somewhere between Memento and Interstellar. Anchored by a thriving central performance by Leonardo DiCaprio, it gave Nolan the chance to realise his vision more accurately than Memento, having benefitted from a bigger budget and more technological advancement. But it also enjoyed a more sound concept than its rather inflated cousin, Interstellar, four years later.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Cillian Murphy in Inception.

Oppenheimer (2023)

With his latest film, Nolan manages to overcome many of his usual flaws—a dense screenplay, an increasingly difficult-to-follow interplay between colour and black-and-white sequences, and an overreliance on IMAX spectacle—to allow the film’s central nuclear dilemma to resonate with both urgency and profundity. Cillian Murphy delivers a striking performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer, his haunted blue eyes reflecting the mounting horror of a man confronting the devastation his work helped unleash.

Cillian Murphy in and as Oppenheimer.

Memento (2000)

The legacy of Memento may have been diluted by a slew of inferior remakes (Ghajini?), but the original remains a film bursting with energy, suspense, and emotion, all anchored by profound regret and grief. Guy Pearce’s lead performance works in tandem with Nolan’s inventive nonlinear structure to paint the portrait of a man both searching for answers and trapped by the limitations of his own memory. The film is also a remarkable adaptation of Jonathan Nolan’s short story Memento Mori, deftly interweaving its black-and-white and colour timelines to distinguish chronological reality from Leonard’s subjective psychological experience.

Memento released in 2000.

Dunkirk (2017)

Dunkirk marked Nolan’s most restrained film to date, despite unfolding across land, sea, and air during World War II. By focusing on the experiences of the people caught in the evacuation rather than escalating the stakes to yet another story about saving the world, Nolan crafted his finest period piece. The events are neither exaggerated in the manner of some of his earlier work nor diminished by the absence of his trademark narrative experimentation. Instead, by stripping the story of unnecessary stylistic flourishes and channeling his innovation into the film’s breathtaking set pieces, Nolan tells a simple story with remarkable clarity and emotional force.

Dunkirk released in 2017.

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The Dark Knight (2008)

Heath Ledger as Joker in The Dark Knight.

While Batman Begins saw Nolan grappling with the conventions of the superhero genre, The Dark Knight is the film in which he fully made Batman and Gotham his own. Without losing sight of the deeply personal anguish that defined its predecessor, the sequel also emerged as a resonant political statement. The screenplay by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan could easily have retraced the path established by Batman Begins, but instead it elevated the genre to a level of moral and political complexity rarely seen in superhero cinema. Casting Heath Ledger, then best known for his romantic roles, as the Joker was widely regarded as the film’s boldest gamble. In retrospect, however, the truly audacious decision was its ending, which rejected a conventional heroic triumph to reveal Batman as both a deeply personal figure and a profoundly political one. He is a man shaped by his city even as he reshapes it, and a hero defined as much by his failures as by his legend.