A Complete Review of Christopher Nolan's work

Cast : Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Clarke, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Hartnett, Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Dane DeHaan, Josh Peck, Benny Safdie, Rami Malek, Olivia Thirlby, Casey Affleck, Gary Oldman

What was it about?
The story of American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his role in the development of the atomic bomb.

My two cents:
A usual with Christopher Nolan, this movie it was visually really neat and the directing was top-notch. Above all, Oppenheimer was such a fascinating character, easily one of the best characters Nolan as ever worked with. His quest to create the first atomic bomb was also so interesting because it would change our world forever and its impact is still topical nowadays. So, the story was great but I’m not sure Nolan’s approach completely worked. Indeed, at times, it felt as if you either needed to have read the book or have Wikipedia at all times open or that you had to be a massive history buff to keep track of everything and above all everybody involved. Concerning the cast, well, Cillian Murphy was rightfully praised, the guy was amazing and easily delivered one of the best performances of his career. I wish I could say the same about the rest of the cast though. It’s not that anyone was bad, I was more bothered by the fact that so many showed up for barely nothing. It was especially frustrating with Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh who all seemed to have some more substantial characters and, yet, they were given so little to do after all. Even Robert Downey Jr., after getting stuck playing Tony Stark for so many years, who was finally given the opportunity to do something else, didn’t really impress me because the focus on this conflict with Lewis Strauss was, in my opinion, a rather poor idea. Anyway, even though I might seem harsh, the damned thing was still really good though.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Kenneth Branagh, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Clémence Poésy, Michael Caine

What was it about?
Armed with only one word, Tenet, and fighting for the survival of the entire world, a Protagonist journeys through a twilight world of international espionage on a mission that will unfold in something beyond real time.

My two cents:
As usual, once again, this new directing effort was my highest priority for 2020. On top of that, because of the Coronavirus, even though the movie was completed, it kept getting postponed increasing my expectations in the process but also for everyone else. Well, I wish I could say it was worth the wait, as it is usually the case with this director. Unfortunately, I'm afraid Nolan has delivered the first misfire in an otherwise pretty much flawless career so far. The saddest thing is that it was, according to Nolan, his most ambitious movie so far. Anyway, what went wrong? Well, for me, it felt like they gave permission to David Lunch to direct a blockbuster with a 200 million dollar budget. The difference would be that Lynch would probably deliver something just as weird, bonkers and nonsensical as Nolan did but, at least, it would be on purpose. I mean, it is not as if Nolan was working for the fist with a rather far out complex. However, the question I keep asking myself is 'was it really such an awesome idea?'. Well, I'm not so sure. I mean, for more than 2 hours, the viewers and the characters struggle with the dammed idea but it never became really fascinating. To make things worse, every 5 mins, they would add another completely random piece of information making the damned thing even more confusing. Concerning the cast, this time, Nolan didn't have so many characters to deal which was probably a good thing. John David Washington and Robert Pattinson were both pretty good and had some good chemistry but, unfortunately, their characters were barely developed whatsoever. Concerning Kenneth Branagh, it didn't work so well though as he was completely miscast and you might wonder why they didn't simply hire a Russian actor. Anyway, was it really some complete garbage? Of course, not. The time passed by very quickly, the soundtrack was badass, it was visually still impressive and it felt good to go back to the movie theatre after almost 6 months but there is no doubt that the damned thing was seriously disappointing.

My rating: 07/10

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Cast : Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance

What was it about?
The film tells the story of the Dunkirk evacuation, which took place at the beginning of World War II.

My two cents:
Well, it seems to be already another box-office hit for Nolan which is even more remarkable since you wouldn't expect a movie dealing with WWII to be able to compete with your usual summer blockbusters. Still, to be honest, I don't think it will be remembered as one of his best movies. I mean, sure, I was glad that he was at last doing something else than a super-hero flick or some high-concept science-fiction thriller, but at the end of the day, even if it looked different, it was still yet another thriller, something he has been doing through his whole career. Furthermore, I have seen my share of movies dealing with this conflict and, even though it was really good, I have seen better to be honest. On top of that, I didn't care much for the mixed chronology and I didn't help that really none of the involved characters was developed at all. Still, from a technical point of view, it was really quite impressive and I have to admit that this movie was just seriously entertaining.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Anne Hathaway, Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Topher Grace, Wes Bentley, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn, Matt Damon

What was it about?
An exploration of physicist Kip Thorne's theories of gravity fields, wormholes and several hypotheses that Albert Einstein was never able to prove.

My two cents:
It seems that Nolan's ambition is pretty much limitless as he decided to tackle this time an epic science-fiction feature reaching out for a seminal masterpiece like '2001: A Space Odyssey' and the guy almost pulled it off. I say almost because even though the whole thing was really entertaining, emotional and gorgeous to look at, the story was actually rather shaky and half of it didn't make much sense whatsoever. Above all, with this movie, you finally got a glimpse of Nolan's actual limitations. By now, we all pretty much agree that he is one of the most talented directors at work today but if you want to go all the way and make a really awesome masterpiece like his example Stanley Kubrick, he has to stop to please the average movie watcher by throwing some random action scenes here and there. It didn’t bother me with 'Inception' but, here, it was really obvious and rather annoying. Still, you get here some rather deep thoughts about life, death, love, the relativity of time and space and it was just exhilariting to see a blockbuster at least trying to tackle such ideas.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Matthew Modine

What was it about?
Eight years on, a new evil rises from where the Batman and Commissioner Gordon tried to bury it, causing the Batman to resurface and fight to protect Gotham City... the very city which brands him an enemy.

My two cents:
Personally, this movie was my top priority for 2012. What is it any good? Yes, it was pretty awesome. Was it better than 'The Dark Knight'? No way... I'm not sure if it was actually even better than 'Batman Begins' but it is definitely a tribute to Nolan's skills that even though it was a disappointment, it was still really impressive. This movie had basically one huge obstacle : its predecessor was near perfect and it was a (near) impossible task to reach my expectations. To start with, there were too many characters. For example, Anne Hathaway really impressed me as Catwoman but she didn't have much to do. Tom Hardy was also impressive and Bane was a pretty cool villain but he doesn't come near the Joker in terms of mayhem and personality. Still, I was entertained throughout the whole thing, it was filled with great actors and the directing was rather flawless which is something we got used to with Christopher Nolan. The first hour was great, probably as good as 'The Dark Knight' and there were some rather emotional scenes, especially the ones featuring Michael Caine who was just heartbreaking. To conclude, we have been accustomed to get greatness everytime around from Mr Nolan and it wasn't that great this time but it was still damned fine but it is really time for him to move on to something else.

My rating: 08/10

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Cast : Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Marion Cotillard, Pete Postlethwaite, Michael Caine, Lukas Haas

What was it about?
A skilled extractor is offered a chance to regain his old life as payment for a task considered to be impossible.

My two cents:
Honestly, it's a real pity that it has lost some of its reputation following the two years of its release. Indeed, the nolanites are so fanatic, they really believe that this movie is the best one ever made which is kind of infuriating when you consider the wealth of movies made during more than 100 years of film history. I mean, I think it is a great movie, the best one released in 2010, but it is far from being the best movie ever made, it is not even near my top 10 at all. So, with all these arguments going on, it is actually rather difficult to objectively judge this flick nowadays. Anyway, in spite of what the lovers and haters have to say, I still think it is a great movie. Indeed, it was visually impressive, there was a great cast, the whole thing was damned entertaining and I just loved the concept behind it. The haters should keep in mind that it is and remains a blockbuster with its creative limitations. As a result, it is supposed to be enjoyed by a broad audience so you can't really accept too much artsy and philosophical shenanigans. On the other hand, I think that the lovers are mostly young viewers who are between 15-22 years old and if I would have watched it at that age, I would probably have thought that it was the greatest thing ever made. There are more movies out there, watch them, as many as possible, and you will see that even though this movie is great, it is probably not the best thing ever made.

My rating: 9/10

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Cast : Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Eric Roberts, Anthony Michael Hall

What was it about?
When Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent launch an assault on the mob, they let the clown out of the box, the Joker, bent on turning Gotham on itself and bringing any heroes down to his level.

My two cents:
Before it came out, there was such a buzz about it and, personally, I thought that the whole thing was seriously overhyped. But guess what? In spite of those huge expectations, Nolan managed to deliver the goods and in a big way. What can I say that hasn't already been said about this movie ? It's just the best super-hero movie out there. Period. It is is rather funny to think that before it was released, 'Spider-Man 2' used to be considered the best in its genre. I mean, Sam Raimi's opus was a decent and entertaining blockbuster, that's for sure, but compared to how Nolan revolutionized the genre with this 2nd Batman installment, it wasn't that amazing. Never before a super-hero feature had been so epic with such a great cast, such awesome action scenes and such a memorable bad guy thanks to an exceptional performance by the late Heath Ledger. To conclude, it is basically already a modern classic.

My rating: 9/10

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Cast : Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, David Bowie, Andy Serkis

What was it about?
The rivalry between two magicians is exacerbated when one of them performs the ultimate illusion.

My two cents:
I just loved this movie so much. I don't know if you follow my reviews or my ratings but I actually never give a perfect 10 at least not since 2000. This movie though was so closed to reach this mythic threshold. I remember as if it was yesterday, the first time I watched it, my head was bouncing through the whole thing and afterwards, I must have had a huge headache. I know, I make it sound as if it was a rather unpleasant experience but the point is that I was completely overwhelmed by its awesomeness from the beginning until the very end. In my opinion, it is actually even better than 'The Dark Knight' or 'Inception' and it is one of my all-time favorites. The story, the acting and the direction were just so great, it was just a really fascinating movie. I also loved that none of the two magicians were really good or bad, they were just completely driven by their obsession and they both lose their mind at some point. Unfortunately, there was one little disappointment for me and it was how it all ended. Indeed, I thought it was very anti-climatic. In my opinion, they should have kept the viewer in the dark, like David Lynch would have done, make us wonder for many years what the hell happened back then. If the ending wouldn't have let me down, it would have been a perfect 10 but, still, it remains a spellbinding movie.

My rating: 9/10

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Cast : Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Rutger Hauer, Tom Wilkinson, Ken Watanabe, Morgan Freeman

What was it about?
After training with his mentor, Batman begins his war on crime to free the crime-ridden Gotham City from corruption that the Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast upon it.

My two cents:
For Nolan, it is where the whole thing really started. I mean, many people, included me, had noticed him before above all thanks to 'Memento' but, up to that point, the guy was rather unknown to the mainstream audience. Anyway, it was his most ambitious project so far and it was nothing small. Indeed, his mission was to resurrect the almighty Cape Crusader, a beloved character whose reputation had been terribly destroyed following the misguided installments directed by Joel Schumacher. Eventually, this first movie was a success. Indeed, he threw away everything that had been done before and started the whole thing from scratch, with a new gritty realistic approach. Suddenly, super-heros meant serious business and this genre never looked the same after that. Of course, it was not completely flawless. Indeed, Katie Holmes was not really convincing and the 2nd part, when we actually finally see the Batman, was actually weaker than the awesome 1st part when you witness his actual birth. Still, even though it might not be a masterpiece like the great 2nd installment, it remains an awesome flick.

My rating: 8/10

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Cast : Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney

What was it about?
Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.

My two cents:
It is probably the weakest outing for Nolan so far but it is actually far from being a bad movie. Indeed, after impressing a lot of people with his second directing effort, Christopher Nolan got his break in Hollywood and was allowed to make his first studio picture with two big stars, no lesser than Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Many think that Williams gave here one of his best performances and he did indeed a great job, losing his usual hysteria, playing a man who was exactly the opposite: introvert, rather quiet but rather slightly lethal. For Al Pacino, it was one of his last decent performances and since then his career has been filled with some average or even terrible features. For Nolan, like many other directors before him, his first gig was a remake and, as such, it was not completely rewarding but it still was an interesting experiment and even though it is nothing really amazing, it remains a solid and moody thriller.

My rating: 7/10

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Cast : Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano

What was it about?
A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife.

My two cents:
It is pure and simply my all time favorite movie. It is the only movie I can re-watch without being bothered by the small imperfections. The funny thing is that, when it was released, back then I was living in England, the trailer didn't really impress me but after watching it many many times, I think this movie is actually really amazing. At the end, you are so confused. I'm sure a lot of people are annoyed by this but I just love this feeling. Even though you have more information than Leonard, the main character, at the end, it still remains a big blur. How long has been he on the run ? 1 year ? 2 years ? longer ? How many John D. has he killed ? Was his wife killed or did he made that up ? So many questions remain even if you watch the movies 20 times. I just think it is fascinating and even after multiple re-watch, it still remains flawless. There were even some hilarious bits, funnier than most of the lame comedies I have watched. Of course, there are some plot-holes. For example, with his disease, Leonard shouldn't be aware that he has this sickness and he shouldn't even know what is tattoos or his pictures mean. Furthermore, he always forget precisely at the right moment so that the movie could be properly edited. In my opinion, those are minor flaws though, and to me, this movie is the best one ever made and I just love it.

My rating: 10/10

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What was it about?
A young writer who follows strangers for material meets a thief who takes him under his wing.

My two cents:
More than 20 years ago, Christopher Nolan made this very impressive directing debut which was barely seen when it was released but he sure got noticed. Apparently, like some other notable directors before him like David Lynch or Kevin Smith, he made this flick on a micro-budget with non-professional actors. The shooting of this film took over a year and because all the cast and crew members had other full-time jobs, they were only able to film on Saturdays about 15 minutes of footage until photography had been completed. Personally, I thought it was a rather fascinating plot, about a regular guy obsessively following some strangers. The directing was also pretty solid and the only real weakness would be the acting which was not really impressive but, back then, Nolan didn't have at his disposal such actors like Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Al Pacino or Morgan Freeman.

My rating: 8/10

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What was it about?
In a ratty flat, a man is on his hands and knees, holding a shoe by its toe, trying to kill a bug of some sort that so far has managed to evade him. He keeps up the chase and whacks at it a few times. Then, we get a look at what he's been trying to flatten. In what sort of universe have we found ourselves? Who's in danger?

My two cents:
Honestly, it is nothing really amazing but it is still a rather fun and 'really short' short movie. I mean, if you are looking for the genius displayed by David Lynch in his earlier shorts, you will be terribly disappointed. Indeed, it is pretty obvious that Nolan wasn't pretending or even trying to do anything remotely amazing with this. No, here, what you have is a director playing around with the medium, warming up before making the real thing. Still, it remains a pretty good short flick featuring a few trademarks recurring in Nolan's later work.

My rating: 7/10