Despite an enviable filmography that affords him the luxury of increasingly impressive projects, there is one, 22-year-old, underratedChristopher Nolanfilm that I would like to see the director channel more in the future. Nolan has built up his reputation as one ofthe best directorsworking today, making mostly original IPs into mega-successful blockbusters, as well as turning his hand to a major fandom with The Dark Knight trilogy.
Pull focus out, though, and Nolan’s filmography is varied, with a good mixture of multiple genres, despite unifying themes. Nolan isn’t pumping the brakes soon either, even after hisAward-winningOppenheimer. His next project will be a huge undertaking: anadaptation of Homer’s epic poemThe Odyssey, with the mythic fantasy starring a rich vein of talent including Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, and Lupita Nyong’o.
The scale of that project should come as no surprise: the British actor has a knack for creating massive films, and this feels like a natural progression. But even asChristopher Nolan’s next filmsounds amazing, it’s difficult to shake off the desire for something more intimate. Nolan is, after all, a master story-teller, and going smaller would be a major draw, if his earlier work is anything to go by.
Chris Nolan’s Movies Get Bigger With Every New Announcement
Few Directors Put Together Casts Like Nolan
It almost goes without saying thatChristopher Nolan is one of the most commercially successful directors of all time, and he’s earned the privilege of making whatever he likes. The very idea of an adaptation ofThe Odysseywould be almost unthinkable in the 21st century without his influence. In fact, it feels like every subsequent film that Nolan releases is a bigger event than the last, withThe Dark Knightback in 2008 solidifying himself as a modern-day master.
Even his most recent film,Oppenheimer, became one of the most successful R-rated movies of all time, coming close to earning $1 billion at the box office, despite being a three-hour biopic with a significant chunk being shot in black and white.The Odysseyfeels like another challenge to what he can get away with as an artist and an auteur, and it’s impossible not to be impressed with the audacity of the project.
After the one-two punch ofThe Dark KnightandInception, films likeDunkirk,Interstellar, andOppenheimerall became must-see event films.
No matter what genre Christopher Nolan decides to utilize throughout his filmography,his notoriety has grown so much that it is almost guaranteed to succeed, taking home a significant amount of money in the process. It didn’t happen overnight either, Nolan had to work his way up to being able to sell out 70mm IMAX showings of his films whenever they get a rerelease. After the one-two punch ofThe Dark KnightandInception, films likeDunkirk,Interstellar, andOppenheimerall became must-see event films.
Insomnia Is Nolan’s Most Underrated Movie (In His Opinion)
The Award-Winning Director’s Skill Was Evident Even Before The Big Budgets
Even though most of Christopher Nolan’s new releases feel like they get more and more grand, while also being more and more successful, there was a time when Nolan’s films were low-key affairs. Films likeMemento,Insomnia, andThe Prestigeparticularly stand out against the blockbuster sensibilities of his later filmography, choosing to hone in on a more intimate story while diving deep into the psyche of a select number of characters. Even among those films,Insomniastands out, and it is also his most underrated.
Insomniawas only Christopher Nolan’s third feature-length film, afterMementoandFollowing.
That statement doesn’t need to be taken as opinion, becauseChristopher Nolan himself thinksInsomniais his most underrated movie. InThe Nolan Variationsbook, by author Tom Shone, Christopher Nolan opens up aboutInsomniaand what it means to him as both his most underrated and one of his personal favorites. He cited a number of reasons for his thought process onInsomnia, including it being his very first studio film, while also working with a couple of cinematic legends. His opinions onInsomniaare as follows:
“I’m very proud of the film. I think, of all my films, it’s probably the most underrated. […] The reality is it’s one of my most personal films in terms of what it was to make it. It was a very vivid time in my life. It was my first studio film, I was on location, it was the first time I’d worked with huge movie stars. […] That’s not really for me to say, but every now and again I meet a filmmaker and that’s actually the film that they’re interested in or want to talk about. Yeah, very proud of the film.”
I Want More Movies Like Insomnia From Nolan
Big Is Good, But It’s Time For More Intimate Nolan Films
Nolan has proven time and again that he is one of the biggest directors around, constantly able to pull in a crowd no matter what type of film he makes. As his career continues, it feels like Nolan is content with continuing to make these massive films - asThe Odysseyseems to prove - but it is smaller films likeInsomniathat I would love to see Nolan begin to tackle again. Not only would it be a nice change of pace from his newer films, it’s a way for him to show his range, while also calling back to his earlier days as a director.
Christopher Nolan’s Most Underrated Sci-Fi Movie Came Out 18 Years Ago And Set Up A Tradition That Continues To This Day
Christopher Nolan is one of the most famous directors in modern cinema, and his underrated sci-fi classic began an iconic ongoing tradition.
What makesInsomniastand out from Nolan’s current body of work is justhowstraightforward it is compared to most of his original films. His obsession with temporal themes, and grand narrative structure are in prototype here, taking second stage to the narrative, and excellent performances by Robin Williams and Al Pacino.
Although the setting messes with the character’s perception of time, it takes on a lot of the standard beats of a procedural or mystery film, which allows the film to showcase the setting, atmosphere, and outstanding performances of its two lead actors. Watching it more than two decades later feels like a privilege, and unless Nolan changes course, it feels like magic that won’t be recaptured again.Insomniais easily one of Nolan’s most underrated, and I would love to see another film like it someday from the director.
Insomnia
Cast
Insomnia, directed by Christopher Nolan, follows two Los Angeles homicide detectives sent to a northern town where the sun never sets to investigate the meticulous murder of a local teenager. The incessant daylight plays a critical role in the unraveling of the case and the psychological dynamics between the characters.
