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Certain conventions are expected for a Christopher Nolan movie. For one, the film's probably going to be pretty dang good. Also, extremely long run times are a must. Another: The central protagonist is always a complicated figure. And the fourth? Prepare for the unconventional.
Nolan plays by his own cinematic rules, and that's why we love the iconic director. From war movies and psychological thrillers to a trilogy featuring a guy dressed up like a bat, Nolan has a taste for the unexpected that's often surprising and usually satisfying. His latest effort – a follow-up to the mighty Oscar-conquering behemoth "Oppenheimer" – is his biggest swing yet: Nolan tackles an adaptation of Homer's epic "The Odyssey" (in theaters now), with Matt Damon leading an A-list cast as the legendary Odysseus.
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The only thing more treacherous than his journey home might be tackling a ranking of Nolan's filmography. But, challenge accepted: Here are all of his movies, from worst (but still pretty dang good) to best.
13. 'Following' (1998)
Nolan's tendencies toward nonlinear storytelling, broody complex personalities and throwing out the filmmaking rulebook were all apparent in his 70-minute Hitchcockian debut. Jeremy Theobald stars as a London writer who follows around strangers for inspiration, a personality quirk that gets him in trouble when he becomes tied to a serial burglar (Alex Haw) and a femme fatale (Lucy Russell).
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
12. 'Tenet' (2020)
Best way to describe Nolan's puzzling secret-agent bonanza? James Bond by way of a Rubik's Cube. The globetrotting film casts a sensational John David Washington as a superspy in an organization that uses time inversion for its missions. It's a lot to explain – just sit back, don't think too much and blissfully enjoy Washington and Robert Pattinson (as his partner) in out-of-time hallway brawls and cars flipping forward and backward.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
11. 'The Dark Knight Rises' (2012)
Yeah, no one really understood what Tom Hardy's masked Bane was saying in Nolan's third Bat-film, which didn't quite reach the extremely high bar set by the first two. Still, there's a lot to dig in this Gotham City adventure, from Anne Hathaway slinking around as Catwoman to Christian Bale's Batman rising back up from broken man to city savior in time for a rousing climax.
Where to watch: HBO Max, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
10. 'Insomnia' (2002)
Nolan lends a moody atmosphere to his chilly psychological thriller, which features Al Pacino as a homicide detective sent to Alaska to investigate the brutal murder of a teenage girl. He also can't sleep really well, so that doesn't help, and neither does being taunted by his prime suspect (Robin Williams). Nolan adds his signature intensity to the cop drama, benefitted by one of Williams' creepiest performances.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
9. 'Dunkirk' (2017)
The World War II movie was Nolan's first foray into real history and, like "Saving Private Ryan," immersed viewers in the horrors of battle. Of course, he did it in his own signature way: Three tales of the heroic Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 unfold at different times over land, sea and air. Fionn Whitehead stars as a British soldier trying to stay alive on a Nazi-occupied beach in one story while another focuses on Tom Hardy as a pilot battling German planes with a rapidly depleting fuel tank.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
8. 'Memento' (2000)
The innovative neo-noir delight that put Nolan on the cinematic map. And here's the fun thing about having Guy Pearce as your lead amnesiac who can't create new long-term memories: You can craft one heck of a whodunit narrative – told backward! – featuring two timelines where the dude has to solve his wife's murder using photos, helpful tattoos and written notes to himself.
Where to watch: Netflix, Peacock, Hulu, Tubi, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
7. 'Oppenheimer' (2023)
Nolan's ambitious and exquisitely crafted biopic cast Cillian Murphy as theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The movie follows his early years being tapped to work on the Manhattan Project and the ticking-clock lead-up to the atomic bomb, and also his consequential fallout with rival Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.). Nolan turns a harrowing era of American history into equal parts horror show, paranoia thriller and political potboiler.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
6. 'Batman Begins' (2005)
On Nolan's watch, the all-too-familiar origin story of how billionaire Bruce Wayne becomes Batman receives a fresh, expertly crafted twist. Bruce (Christian Bale) gets trained as an assassin overseas after his parents' death, embraces the whole cape-and-cowl thing, reunites with an old flame (Katie Holmes) and tussles with the creepy Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) to keep the entire Gotham populace from being poisoned.
Where to watch: HBO Max, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
5. 'The Prestige' (2006)
Nolan's scintillating Victorian-era tale of rival illusionists is itself a nifty magic trick. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman are partners in a snazzy teleportation bit who turn on each other after the tragic death of their assistant. The bad blood just increases from there and gets exceedingly personal as each magician tries to outdo the other in an electrifying, gripping duel that tears apart both their lives.
Where to watch: Peacock, Hulu, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
4. 'Inception' (2010)
The kaleidoscopic sci-fi thriller blew people's minds, from a stacked cast to groundbreaking, eye-popping visuals. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a thief who extracts secrets from sleeping people’s minds, and his crew's latest job involves invading the dreams of a businessman (Cillian Murphy), a mission with rotating hallways, physics-busting cityscapes and gravity-defying brawls. And that final scene with the top? It still haunts so many years later.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
3. 'Interstellar' (2014)
The trippy, mind-bending sci-fi thriller stars Matthew McConaughey as a former NASA pilot recruited for a mission to find a potential new world for mankind when Earth becomes unlivable. But more than just a cosmic adventure, it's an intriguing, emotionally affecting father-daughter tale where McConaughey's astronaut and his kid (Jessica Chastain) find a heartfelt connection across time and space.
Where to watch: Paramount+, Hulu, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
2. 'The Dark Knight' (2008)
Nolan pulled off one of the best superhero movies ever, thanks in large part to Heath Ledger's inimitable performance as the chaotic, unpredictable Joker. While he completely hijacks the flick, Bale's Dark Knight still shines wrestling with not only this colorful psycho but also his own personal choices and role as Gotham's resident protector in a movie that brilliantly tackles the fine line between good and evil.
Where to watch: HBO Max, Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango
1. 'The Odyssey' (2026)
After being a key to the victory of the Trojan War, Greek hero Odysseus (Matt Damon) goes to hell and back trying to get home to his wife (Anne Hathaway) and son (Tom Holland) in Nolan's brutal yet introspective adaptation of Homer's epic poem. The filmmaker's masterpiece examines war and storytelling in its star-studded narrative but also has huge action sequences and a flair for the fantastical, with Odysseus dealing with sea creatures, witches, a cyclops and his own guilt monstrously manifested in this memorable journey.
Where to watch: In theaters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: All of Christopher Nolan's movies, ranked (including 'The Odyssey')
