Christopher Nolan is a director who almost everyone is aware of. Whether or not you know him by name, chances are, you’ve seen one of his films.
He’s one of the most influential directors of all time, with some even calling him the greatest modern filmmaker,
and even those who think that’s a bit of a bold statement will admit that Nolan has made some impressive pieces of cinema.
But where did he get his footing?
Well, before he was making the famous “Dark Knight” trilogy, Christopher Nolan was establishing his style with some of his earliest films that helped him get a start into the business,
and today I’m here to take a look at those films, starting with his very first feature length film, “Following”.
“Following” is a 1998 film shot on 16mm film, which is something that I love about Christopher Nolan: ever since “Following”, he has shot all of his movies on film,
which is a rarity in cinema nowadays, but it’s definitely something to admire.
“Following” is the story of a very lonely, seclusive man living in London, who happens to have an odd habit: following people, hence the title of the film.
While it is a bit creepy and stalkerish, our main character technically isn’t doing any harm.That is until he picks a new person to follow, who turns out to be a burglar.
He begins to follow this thief and eventually ends up going on heists with him. This is where the events of the film begin to unfold, giving us our first taste of Nolan’s now trademark plot twists.
Even in his earlier days, Christopher Nolan was creating complex stories, and it’s cool to see that he still stays true to that.
“Following” is an enjoyable experience
from beginning to end, and it’s a great start to Nolan’s directing career.
Up next is “Memento”.
Now, as great as “Following” is, “Memento” is really what put Christopher Nolan on the map, while also establishing his famous style of crafting a film.
So, “Memento” is a movie that has a nonlinear narrative, and if you’re not familiar with the concept, it basically means that the events of the movie happen out of order.
Films like “Citizen Kane”, “Annie Hall” and 
“Pulp FIction” are famous for using this type of storytelling, and for good reason.
It’s a risky way to make a movie, but when it’s done right, it works so well, and “Memento” is no exception.
The story follows our main character, Leonard Shelby, and his mission to track down his wife’s killer. That’s right, this is a revenge story; however, there’s a twist:
Leonard is a character who has short-term memory loss. He remembers everything leading up to his wife’s demise, but anything after that is
a blur.
To cope with this, Leonard writes notes, takes pictures, and even covers himself with tattoos. As the movie progresses, and you learn more about what’s really going on behind the scenes, suspense begins to rise.
Without giving anything away, I will say that this isn’t an easy movie to predict, making it all the more enjoyable.
If you’re a fan of movies that keep you guessing on what may happen next, this is without a doubt a film you should see, because it’s one of the best in the genre.
Now, the final film I’ll be talking about is the 2002 Mystery film, “Insomnia”. This is a very different film of Christopher Nolan’s, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. In fact, I’d argue that it’s one of his best.
The film begins with our main character, Will Dormer, who is a detective being sent to a small town in Alaska to investigate the murder of a young woman.
When the seemingly simple case turns into something much more, it begins to push our hero to his limits, challenging his physical breaking point, but more importantly, his psychological breaking point.
This film is a bit of a slow-burn, but it’s by no means boring. The story pulls you in right away, and like “Memento”, it keeps you guessing.
Also, this just adds brownie-points for the movie,
but I really like the location of this movie. It adds a lot to the suspense, and the way they use the fog to build tension is done really well;
however, I think the movie’s strongest suit is its actors and their performances. Al Pacino, Hilary 
Swank and the since-passed Robin Williams all give outstanding performances, making their characters seem all the more believable.
This is a fascinating film, and is one of Nolan’s best as far as characters go.
A complaint that some people have with Christopher Nolan is that he spends too much time on plot while not adding enough to his characters’ personalities,
and while I don’t necessarily agree with that, I will say that this film is one that proves that Nolan can make compelling characters, while still maintaining an engaging story. This is a film that you shouldn’t miss!
Well, those are all the films I’ll be talking about for now, but with the new remake of “The Magnificent Seven” right around the corner, I thought I’d not only take a look at that film, but also some of my favorite Westerns of all time.
So, stay tuned for that, and until next time, stay tuned, partner.
And before anyone comments, I am aware that this is a sombrero.
