When we look back at the history of cinema in the 21st century, there will be one name that will stand out as the ultimate visionary: Christopher Nolan. Known for transcending genres with complex storytelling, Nolan is the king of blockbusters. His resume boasts some of the greatest films of all time, and we’ve only just surpassed the quarter-century mark. While we all have our favorite Nolan film, it may not align with other cinephiles.
We’re about to find out where our favorite Nolan projects rank based on Letterboxd scores. Focused solely on the 13 feature-length projects, the ratings are based on a score out of 5. If there is a tie between films, whichever has more fan ratings gets the higher slot. If the rankings or ratings shock you, sound off in the comments! It’s absolutely not how I thought it would turn out.
13
‘Following’ (1998)
Letterboxd Score: 3.5/5
It all has to start somewhere. For Christopher Nolan, that directorial debut came in 1998 with Following. The film follows a struggling young writer (Jeremy Theobald) in London who begins shadowing random strangers to find inspiration. When one of his subjects (Alex Haw) confronts him, he is drawn into a dangerous criminal underworld of voyeurism, burglary, and complex deception. Crafted on an impossibly small budget of just $6,000, Following is an important Nolan as it plans the blueprint for Nolan’s signature themes of memory, identity, and non-linear time, proving his visionary storytelling abilities. Following may not be as grand as his follow-up films, but it is a masterclass in DIY filmmaking and how a visionary is born.
Shot in black-and-white on 16mm film, Nolan utilized his comparable tiny budget to his advantage. Using available lighting and clever framing to deliver a tense neo-noir thriller, Nolan crafts a non-linear story that feels rich. Jumping across three intertwined timelines, Nolan uses visual cues to help the audience navigate the narrative puzzle. It’s a similar technique that Nolan would refine soon thereafter. The plot is wonderfully twisted. It features layers upon layers of psychological manipulation. If you are a fan of Nolan’s work, Following will feel quite familiar. From fragmented timelines to a voyeuristic protagonist, Following served as the test drive for his early masterpieces. The reason why Following falls to the bottom is that it’s just not as flashy and has likely had fewer eyes on it compared to the big blockbusters.
12
‘Tenet’ (2020)
Letterboxd Score: 3.5/5
Once Nolan found his groove, all eyes were on every project he released. Many of them were extraordinary, but some were not as well received. And yet, even his least regarded are better than some director’s best. Hence, why Tenet falls here. The science fiction action film set in the future, environmental collapse leads desperate descendants to create an “Algorithm,” a device capable of reversing the entropy of the entire Earth to save their time. An unnamed CIA agent known as “The Protagonist” (John David Washington) is recruited by a secret organization called Tenet. They use “inversion” technology—which reverses entropy—to travel backward in time and stop a Russian oligarch, Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), from assembling a doomsday weapon sent from the future. A mind-bending, highly original approach to time-inversion, Tenet is yet another deeply rewarding, complex puzzle that reshaped science fiction.
Nolan is no stranger to playing with time. Tenet took it a step further. Through the exploration of inversion—where objects and people move backward through time while the rest of the world moves forward— the result allowed characters operating in two different directions of time to interact within the same frame. This means movie logic is out the window in exchange for a deeply engaging sci-fi sandbox to play in. The film is so meticulously plotted that it allows for immense rewatchability. The film reveals hidden details, setups, and payoffs upon multiple viewings. Per usual, Nolan relies on massive practical effects to bring the concept to life. From a hijacked airplane crashing into a building to hand-to-hand combat where one fighter is moving forward and the other is moving backward, the adrenaline rush is alive and well. Tenet features a strong cast made up of Nolan collaborators new and old, including Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debecki, Michael Caine, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. The bar is high for Nolan; this one barely missed it.
11
‘Insomnia’ (2002)
Letterboxd Score: 3.6/5
Perhaps the first official mainstream Nolan feature film was 2002’s Insomnia. Why was it mainstream? Between the star-studded ensemble and being a Warner Bros. picture, Hollywood and moviegoers were able to truly see Nolan’s capabilities behind the camera. The neo-noir psychological thriller centers on Will Dormer (Al Pacino), a veteran L.A. detective sent to a small Alaskan town during the “midnight sun” to investigate a teenage girl’s murder. When he accidentally kills his own partner, Hap Eckhart (Martin Donovan), in a dense fog, he lies to cover it up, only to be blackmailed by the killer, Walter Finch (Robin Williams), triggering an intense game of cat-and-mouse. A remake of the acclaimed 1997 Norwegian film of the same name, Insomnia is the only film that does not include a writing credit.
A smart and riveting piece, Insomnia is all about the intense cat-and-mouse game. Pacino gives a standard Pacino performance, but Williams, playing against type, is terrifyingly chilling. Through its innovative setting and constant daylight, a story that would typically rely on darkness and shadows strips away the potential for hiding. The perpetual daylight operates as a relentless spotlight, giving the guilt-ridden detective a harrowing state of sleep deprivation. Thematically, Insomnia is grounded in morality and psychological weariness. Through this authenticity and realism, Insomnia is one of his most realistic projects. A vital stepping stone toward Nolan’s big-budget career, Insomnia proved that his intense, psychological storytelling translated well to mainstream audiences.
10
‘Dunkirk’ (2017)
Letterboxd Score: 3.8/5
Nolan has proven he can tackle literally any genre. For his war film, he brought audiences to World War II with Dunkirk. The historical drama depicts the harrowing World War II evacuation of hundreds of thousands of Allied soldiers trapped on the beaches of northern France by the advancing German army in May 1940. In typical Nolan fashion, this was no standard war movie; it is structured as an intense survival thriller focusing on three overlapping timelines. On land, the story follows a week-long struggle of young British soldiers trapped on the shrinking beaches, desperately waiting for rescue. At sea, it follows the one-day journey of courageous British civilians who sailed their small boats across the English Channel to rescue the stranded troops. And in the air, it follows a one-hour mission of Royal Air Force Spitfire pilots fighting off German bombers to protect the men below. Together, they present one epic story.
Dunkirk is one of the best 21st-century war films because of the great scale on which Nolan presents the events. A technical masterpiece, Nolan’s filmcraft immerses audiences on all fronts. They are given the chance to viscerally experience the intensity and horror of war. Even knowing the ultimate outcome of the Dunkirk evacuation, Nolan instills suspense. He does this through non-linear, interwoven narratives. The intersecting structure masterfully captures how the frantic pace of a dogfight contrasts with the agonizing, drawn-out wait for rescue on the beach. Using largely practical effects and historical boats, the film relies on breathtaking cinematography and an almost suffocating sound design to make viewers feel as if they are in the cockpit of a Spitfire or under fire on the Mole. It’s an unrelenting film, working in the storytelling’s favor. The film boasts some solid performances from Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, and Cillian Murphy. Dunkirk redefined the traditional war film in the genre through its storytelling. Gone are extensive backstories in exchange for a visual and auditory tale of survival.
9
‘Batman Begins’ (2005)
Letterboxd Score: 3.8/5
Well, it all had to begin somewhere! After the Batman franchise stalled in the ’90s, Nolan had the chance to revive it. The result became the definitive iteration. In the first of the trilogy, Batman Begins explores the origin of Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). The story follows a traumatized Bruce as he travels the world to master martial arts, joins the League of Shadows, a powerful clandestine organization led by Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson), and returns to a corrupt, crime-ridden Gotham City to become the legendary vigilante, Batman. Working alongside the city’s few uncorrupted police officers, Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), they take down mob boss Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), and soon discover a much darker conspiracy involving Falcone and a psychopathic psychiatrist, Dr. Jonathan Crane aka The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy). Crane is using a weaponized fear-inducing toxin to poison Gotham’s water supply— a plot being orchestrated by the League of Shadows—forcing him to fight to save his city from descending into complete chaos. Batman Begins was a watershed project that popularized the cinematic reboot and proved that superhero films could be treated as mature, psychological crime thrillers rather than campy spectacles.
There were a few versions of Batman that were darker than the colorful comic book, but none went as dark as where Nolan took it. Nolan used the character to launch a story of human psychology, trauma, and gritty realism. It was profoundly reflected in a dark, visually atmospheric, gothic version of Gotham City. The entire film was grounded in realism, so the signature gadgets and gizmos were practical Wayne Enterprises prototypes. No cartoonish weaponry here! Perhaps the most important element of the film was Bale’s debut and the start of the character’s arc. Batman Begins spends significant time exploring Bruce’s grief, his anger, and the difficult philosophical lessons he learns. From troubled orphan to disciplined vigilante, the first film established where the subsequent films would head. Though it’s not the best of the three, Batman Begins laid the groundwork for where superhero films could and would go.
8
‘The Dark Knight Rises’ (2012)
Letterboxd Score: 3.8/5
All good things must come to an end, and for Nolan’s Batman trilogy, it concluded with The Dark Knight Rises. Set eight years after he was blamed for District Attorney Harvey Dent’s (Aaron Eckhart) death to protect his reputation, the story follows a retired, frail, and reclusive Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) who is forced out of exile when a ruthless terrorist named Bane (Tom Hardy) and a cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) threaten to destroy Gotham City. Physically and mentally broken by Bane, Wayne is thrown into a dark prison, leaving Gotham to suffer under martial law. Wayne embarks on a grueling journey to heal, escape his imprisonment, and return to Gotham to lead a desperate revolution to save his home from total atomic destruction. A spectacular conclusion to one of the best superhero trilogies of all time, The Dark Knight Rises redefines the hero’s journey through themes of physical resilience, political upheaval, and redemption.
Following up on one of the greatest films of all time was going to be difficult, and yet, he got quite close to near-perfect. Batman had one more formidable foe in Bane. The villain operated with terrifying precision, dismantling Gotham not just with brute force, but by hijacking the city’s economic and social infrastructure. He was a genuine reflection of terrorism. The film’s conflict is rooted in themes of class struggle, revolution, and urban siege. By transforming Gotham into a modernized warzone where the privileged are overthrown and martial law is enforced, The Dark Knight Rises‘ tense, world-breaking atmosphere feels incredibly grand and overwhelming. The film will forever be revered for delivering iconic, high-stakes moments, including the stadium explosion and midair plane heist. Though it was the end of an era, Nolan wrapped it up properly.
7
‘Memento’ (2000)
Letterboxd Score: 4.2/5
Though it may not be his very first, Memento built upon the signature style Nolan established in Following while pioneering the reverse-chronological narrative and split timelines. The mind-blowing film follows Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce), a man with anterograde amnesia, an inability to form new long-term memories. He relies on a complex system of Polaroid photos, handwritten notes, and tattoos to investigate the brutal attack that killed his wife and caused his condition, all while trying to hunt down the murderer. Nolan tells the story using a highly unconventional narrative structure that forces the viewer to experience the exact disorientation Leonard feels. The main color segments of the film play in reverse chronological order. Each scene ends where the previous one started, meaning the audience discovers the “what” before knowing the “why.” Intercut with the color scenes are black-and-white sequences that play forward chronologically, eventually meeting the color sequences at the very end of the movie. Led by an unreliable narrator, Nolan established a game plan for his storytelling while setting up his prosperous career.
Memento is not a casual film. It requires you to watch every intricate moment come together. The inverted narrative creates a brilliantly immersive experience in which you solve the mystery alongside Leonard. The movie goes beyond a standard revenge thriller to explore heavier concepts like the relationship between memory and identity, and the danger of self-delusion when trying to cope with deep grief. Memento served as the proving ground for Nolan’s ambitious cinematic technique that would follow in future films. It was an indie breakout hit that earned both Christopher and Jonathan Nolan an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, putting him on the Hollywood map. Memento is a film that gets better on rewatches. Not just because you can pick up on things you missed, but retrospectively understanding Nolan’s brilliance from film two makes the subsequent films better.
6
‘Inception’ (2010)
Letterboxd Score: 4.2/5
By far, one of the most daring Nolan films of all time is Inception. In the sci-fi heist thriller, Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), a thief who steals secrets from people’s minds while they sleep. He is offered the chance to clear his criminal record if he can do the opposite: plant an idea inside a target’s subconscious. In order to make the idea stick, Cobb and his team must go three layers deep into nested dreams, where time slows down and dying traps you in a helpless, bottomless state of Limbo. The mission is complicated as Cobb is haunted by the tragic memory and guilt of his late wife Mal (Marion Cotillard), who regularly sabotages his mind missions, forcing him to battle his own grief alongside the high-stakes corporate heist. A brilliant, mind-bending concept with groundbreaking practical action sequences and a rich emotional core, Inception shattered the rules to craft a perfect project.
If you’re like me and are fascinated by dreams, Inception is a literal dream. Instead of just stealing secrets, the elevation into the sci-fi realm makes it a heist film like never before. The film allows audiences to dive deep into the power of dreams and the terrifying fear of how they can be overtaken. Inception could have gone completely off the rails, but Nolan’s strict logic and rules for how dreams operate, including the speed at which they move and the need for a kick to wake up, make the complex story accessible. Inception is a brilliant visual wonder. The practical effects and stunts allow for the dream world to feel real, even if it means a Paris street explodes or a rotating hallway becomes gravity-defying. It’s a jaw-dropping visceral experience that’s paired with a legendary score from Hans Zimmer. Inception brought a top-tier crew for DiCaprio to dive into dreams with, including Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page, and Tom Hardy. Inception is a film that is still discussed, especially thanks to the ambiguous ending. The debate will never end. For a film in which Nolan had total creative control, Inception cemented himself as a blockbuster-maker with a strong vision.
5
‘Oppenheimer’ (2023)
Letterboxd Score: 4.2/5
There are many films in which the “landmark” moniker could be given, but no title earns it more in the Nolan repertoire than Oppenheimer. The epic biographical thriller explores the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) through dual timelines. In color, Oppenheimer leads the Manhattan Project to build the atomic bomb after he introduces quantum mechanics to America. In black-and-white, Oppenheimer experiences guilt over the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, framing his later life through hearings and political confirmations, detailing how Cold War paranoia targeted him. Filled with extraordinary, deeply emotional performances and a visual and auditory spectacle, Oppenheimer proved that biographical films don’t need to be bland but instead something of epic proportions.
Oppenheimer redefined Nolan’s career-long technical style through an intimate historical drama, triumphing commercially as a 3-hour dialogue-driven biopic. Through subjective storytelling, the audience is dropped directly into Oppenheimer’s racing, anxious mind using intricate visual cues and shifting perspectives. By moving in and out of timelines, Oppenheimer goes beyond a typical biography. Through tense and smartly plotted pacing, it turns dense scientific research and political hearings into a fast-moving thriller. Oppenheimer‘s ultimate moment was always going to be the testing of the bomb. Ludwig Göransson‘s score pulsates, driving emotional anxiety rather than mindless underscoring. But then, after deafening noise, the bomb goes off, and it’s complete, suffocating silence. It’s completely jarring and one of the most incredible sound moments ever. Oppenheimer is an acting masterclass, especially from Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt. Though it may have had an extra boost thanks to its pairing with Barbie, at the end of the day, the numbers and accolades don’t lie.
4
‘The Prestige’ (2006)
Letterboxd Score: 4.3/5
A period piece about magic may not sound like a typical Nolan project, but it became one that had Nolan written all over it. The film is The Prestige. Based on the novel by Christopher Priest, The Prestige centers on the bitter, obsessive rivalry between two Victorian stage magicians in London, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), as they try to outdo the other with the ultimate teleportation illusion. Structured just like a magic trick, The Prestige is filled with twists and turns you never saw coming, mixing science fiction, fantasy, and psychology to craft a brilliant thriller. Like many films on his resume, The Prestige is a film that requires a second watch because the clues were hidden in plain sight. The Prestige tackles themes of obsession and sacrifice. The film shows how far a person can fall when they care more about destroying a rival than living a well-meaning life. It questions what parts of yourself you must give up to achieve true greatness.
If there is one film that features many elements that make up a Nolan masterpiece, it’s The Prestige. It’s a meta-textual blueprint for his filmmaking ethos as it perfectly marries non-linear storytelling with raw emotional depth, and deeply explores the dangerous human cost of creative obsession. Unlike many of his other projects, the time-jumping, shifting perspectives, and nested diary entries naturally enhance the psychological mystery. Nolan is a directorial magician. The structure of the movie operates like a magic trick, deceiving the viewer with the Pledge, the Turn, and the Prestige. It’s that brilliance that makes The Prestige a fully realized masterpiece. Bale and Jackman may be superheroes in another life, but they are magic together in this film. Joined by exceptional turns from Michael Caine as John Cutter, the stage engineer, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla, The Prestige‘s prestigious cast is worth every minute. The Prestige had a lot hiding in plain sight, just like Nolan’s feelings on artistic creation.