Joey Magidson
It goes without saying, but Christopher Nolan is a unique breed of filmmaker. Auteur driven blockbuster filmmaking is few and far between, so he’s a rare bird. Like many writer/directors, he began with independent roots, before growing to studio cinema. Of course, Nolan also revolutionized comic book and superhero films, paving the way for him to essentially have a blank check. His movies are consistently the biggest and most ambitious in Hollywood. Oppenheimer got him his Academy Awards, though it somehow still feels like the best is yet to come from him. With his latest flick in The Odyssey now out and drawing his expected raves, it seems like a perfect time to go back and look again at his entire directorial career.
Below, you can see how I rank Nolan’s work to date. My list will probably still be a bit different from yours, though nothing will strike you as particularly wild (Tenet isn’t number one or anything). He’s one of the most consistent filmmakers out there, drawing a legion of hardcore fans, so the man is clearly doing something right. Now at thirteen films deep, he’s on the way to an absolute all-timer of a career, which was the case even before The Odyssey blew everyone away.
Here now is my current and updated ranking of the movies helmed by Christopher Nolan…
13. Tenet – This is the one Christopher Nolan misfire (relatively speaking), and yet, Tenet does have plenty that works. Some of the action sequences are terrific, and if he outsmarts himself a bit, this is one of the flicks that shows how the director would have helmed a James Bond picture. Was it worth getting COVID to watch in a theater? Not in the slightest? Does it play decently well now, removed from expectations? To some degree, sure.
12. Following – It’s hard to place Nolan’s directorial debut, as it’s almost a student film, so I’m moving it up one spot. At the same time, Following clearly shows a filmmaker beginning to grasp with the themes he’d become obsessed with later in life. Your mileage may vary, and it’s lesser Nolan, but the infancy of his mastery is in evidence.
11. Insomnia – As close to a for hire gig as Nolan would ever take, Insomnia is still very much in his wheelhouse. It seems wild that he would make something with Robin Williams, but in the latter’s creepy/dark period, it really works. Williams is the highlight, for sure. Just directing, Nolan takes something a bit ordinary and lends it his usual impeccable craftsmanship.
10. The Prestige – I’m lower on this one than most, but I fully acknowledge that The Prestige is high quality cinema. A palate cleanser for Nolan and Christian Bale (among others in the cast) between their Batman pictures, it’s a genre work as well as a period piece. In some ways, this is where you can find the breadcrumbs of what would eventually become Oppenheimer. This is also the entry into his filmography most aching for a revisit, which I’m actually looking to do this summer.
9. Batman Begins – It doesn’t hold a candle to its two bigger and better sequels, but Batman Begins is one of the great superhero origin stories. Not only is the grounded nature a brilliant choice, but the casting would give us Michael Caine as the best Alfred, not to mention Bale and Morgan Freeman, among others. Even if it’s a test run for the next two installments, it’s still wildly successful and an easy watch.
8. Inception – This is probably heresy to some, but I only find Inception very good, as opposed to utterly great. Now, I don’t really have any flaws that I see within it, it’s just never quite grabbed me like it has for others. His other “in between Batman” outings, he pairs with Leonardo DiCaprio for a science fiction Bond epic. This may be the most revisited of Nolan’s original works, in part due to how much fun it’s clear he’s having with the material.
7. Dunkirk – Now we’re into the real top tier Christopher Nolan works for me, starting with Dunkirk. Every master storyteller makes their war epic, often focused on World War II, and Nolan is no exception. Mixing that sort of old-fashioned film with his obsession with time results in a structurally fascinating work. I have a hunch that this is among his least revisited efforts, but that takes nothing away from how impeccably made it is.
6. Memento – This is where we fully met Nolan. Memento is as twisty a tale as he’s ever taken on, yet it’s always crystal clear. Even this early, the confidence, interest in time, and tinkering of conventions are out in full force. This is the kind of movie that, when done well, launches careers, so it’s no surprise that something this great springboarded him to the major leagues in short order.
5. The Dark Knight Rises – I have more affection for his final Batman outing than most. The Dark Knight Rises is as big as it gets, with bold choices, from Tom Hardy‘s Bane voice, to a dour nature that almost forgoes a happy ending. Is it a bit unwieldy? Sure. Do I absolutely adore it anyway? You better believe it. We’ll never know what it was originally intended to be, but what we got was still pretty spectacular.
4 The Odyssey – Could The Odyssey move up in the rankings during the years to come? Sure, though a top five debut is still quite something here. This here is some of what I said yesterday in my four star raves review: “At this point, it’s fair to say that no one is doing must see cinema like Christopher Nolan. The way he makes films for the theatrical experience, whether it’s his use of IMAX technology, or just the size and scope of his productions, is now truly singular. You don’t even have to be a fan of his movies to appreciate how he helps to fuel the health of the medium. With The Odyssey, arguably his biggest blank check project to date, he’s making another big ask of his audience. A massive, nearly three hour adaptation of Homer? On the surface, this is the sort of flick that an auteur falls flat on their face making. Then, again, Oppenheimer was a big ask, given that it was a three hour biopic of J. Robert Oppenheimer, and that won Best Picture, as well as Best Director for Nolan. So, he already gets the benefit of the doubt. Now, having seen the final product, in glorious IMAX 70mm, I can report that this is not only a wild success, it’s also one of Nolan’s best films to date, as well as 2026’s top titles, overall.”
3. Oppenheimer – Nolan’s Oscar winning work, Oppenheimer is still rather fresh in my mind but immediately landed as top three quality. Here is some of my rave review of the movie: “Oppenheimer is an epic character study as well as a dire warning. This engrossing experience builds to an endgame that places no less than the fate of humanity almost at death’s door. It’s heady stuff for summer cinema, but in Nolan’s hands, the urgency is never ignored, but the riveting nature of it makes for one of is most unique works to date. Frankly, given the choice between more work like this and more explorations of the action genre, I’ll take ten more Oppenheimer types before he goes back to Tenet. We’ve seen him master action. Now, he’s mastered the biopic and character study.”
2. Interstellar – Catch me on the right day and I might threaten to rank Interstellar number one here. I was so very taken by this sci-fi spectacular, which also sees Nolan get as emotional as he ever has. Some found the mixture not to work, but this is the only time that the filmmaker has brought me to tears. The sequence of Matthew McConaughey watching the years of recorded videos from his children, ending with a grown Jessica Chastain, is devastating. Try not to cry, I dare you. Throw in an incredibly bold ending and I love this big swing.
1. The Dark Knight – No surprises, but The Dark Knight is the pinnacle of Christopher Nolan’s achievements. It’s pretty perfect and as good as this kind of flick can be. Plus, as we all know, Heath Ledger is iconic and gives an all-timer of a performance as The Joker. There’s not a ton of space between my top three picks, but when you look at Nolan’s resume, it’s hard not to land on this as number one.
How would you rank Christopher Nolan’s filmography? Let us know!
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