Christopher Nolan's birthday: 10 must-watch films by ace British filmmaker

On the occasion of British-American filmmaker Christopher Nolan's birthday, whose films grossed more than $5 billion worldwide and garnered 36 Oscar nominations & 11 wins, check out some of his best works as the ace filmmaker turns 51. Nolan is known as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time and was even named as one of the '100 most influential people in the world' by Time Magazine in 2015. 

On the occasion of Christopher Nolan's birthday, here are some of his best films which if you haven't watched already, you definitely should - 

Christopher Nolan's best films 

The Prestige 

The Prestige is a science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan, written by him and his brother Jonathan. The film is based on the 1995 novel of the same name by Christopher Priest. The critically acclaimed film follows Robert Angier and Alfred Borden who are rival stage magicians in London during the 19th century.

An amalgamation of illusions, competition and fatal results, this movie does not disappoint. The film stars Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier and Christian Bale as Alfred Borden. It also stars Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, Andy Serkis, Rebecca Hall, and David Bowie as Nikola Tesla. 

The Prestige also garnered Academy Award nominations for 'Best Art Direction' and 'Best Cinematography'.

Memento 

Memento is a neo-noir psychological thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, with the film's script based on a pitch by Jonathan Nolan, who wrote the 2001 story "Memento Mori" from the concept. 

The film stars Guy Pearce, as a man who suffers from anterograde amnesia (the inability to form new memories). He has short-term memory loss every 15 minutes and is on the search for the people who attacked him and killed his wife. 

Memento received numerous accolades, including Oscar nominations for 'Best Original Screenplay' and 'Best Film Editing'. In 2017, the United States Library of Congress deemed the film "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Insomnia

Insomnia is a psychological thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan and is a remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name. The film stars Al Pacino, Robin Williams, Hilary Swank, Maura Tierney, Martin Donovan, Nicky Katt and Paul Dooley.

Insomnia revolves around two Los Angeles homicide detectives investigating a murder in Nightmute, Alaska. The critically acclaimed film received much praise for its screenplay, cinematography, direction, and acting by Williams and Pachino. 

Batman Begins

Batman Begins is a superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan and is based on the DC Comics character Batman. The film stars Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, Rutger Hauer, Ken Watanabe, and Morgan Freeman. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography

Batman Begins was a reboot for the Batman film series, which tells the origin story of Bruce Wayne from the death of his parents to his journey to becoming Batman. It also shows Batman's fight with comic book characters Ra's al Ghul and the Scarecrow, who want to bring chaos to Gotham City. 
 

The Dark Knight 

A continuation of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight is the second instalment of Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy. The film features Batman's alliance with Police Lieutenant James Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent to dismantle organized crime in Gotham City. The film also features one of DC Comics' greatest villains, the anarchistic mastermind known as The Joker who simply wants to cause chaos and destruction. 

The film once again stars Christian Bale as Batman/ Bruce Wayne with Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Morgan Freeman in supporting roles. Heath Ledger, who played The Joker in the film, passed away a few months after filming wrapped up due to an accidental overdose. Ledger's rendition of The Joker is considered to be the greatest of all time, to date. 

Inception 

Inception is a science fiction action film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a thief who steals information by infiltrating the minds of his targets through their dreams. The film won four Academy Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects and was nominated for 'Best Picture', 'Best Original Screenplay', 'Best Art Direction', and 'Best Original Score'. 

The film stars an ensemble cast which apart from DiCaprio includes Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Elliot Page, Tom Hardy, Dileep Rao, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, and Michael Caine. 

The Dark Knight Rises

The final film in Nolan's Dark Knight Trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises was directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan. The film features a time-jump which is eight years after the events of The Dark Knight.

The film focuses on another one of DC's greatest villains, Bane who forces Bruce Wayne to resume his role as Batman and save Gotham City from nuclear destruction. The critically and commercially successful film stars Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman one last time, alongside Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Morgan Freeman. 

Interstellar

Interstellar is a science fiction film co-written, directed and produced by Christopher Nolan. The film is set in a dystopian future where humanity is struggling to survive. It follows a group of astronauts who travel through a wormhole near Saturn in search of a new home for humanity only to realise how many twists and turns await them on the journey. 

The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Bill Irwin, Ellen Burstyn, and Michael Caine. 

Brothers Christopher and Jonathan Nolan wrote the screenplay, which had its origins in a script Jonathan developed in 2007. The film won the Academy Award for 'Best Visual Effects' and was nominated for 'Best Original Score', 'Best Sound Mixing', 'Best Sound Editing' and 'Best Production Design'. 

Dunkirk 

Dunkirk is a war film written, directed, and produced by Christopher Nolan. The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D'Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy.

The film depicts the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II through the perspectives of the land, sea, and air. The film received eight nominations at the Academy Awards including 'Best Picture' and 'Best Director' and went on to win for 'Best Sound Editing', 'Best Sound Mixing', and 'Best Film Editing'.

Tenet

Tenet is a science fiction action thriller film written and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, and Kenneth Branagh.

Tenet revolves around a secret agent who learns to manipulate the flow of time to prevent an attack from the future that threatens to annihilate the present world. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, and won Best Visual Effects at the 93rd Academy Awards; it was also nominated for Best Production Design. 

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