Rarely do we see a Christopher Nolan film that’s just “typical.” Whether you’re in a film that’s presented backwards, in a film that takes place in the dreams of others, or in a film that takes you into the far reaches of space, Nolan has always found ways to indulge your creativity and stimulate your curiosity.
Every Nolan feature is also contractually obligated to have that one scene (or collection of scenes) that remains freshly stamped into your consciousness hours, days, or even weeks after you leave the theater. Some are full scenes or sequences, and some are merely moments, but if you can’t stop thinking about them, then the director has done his job.
A number of these scenes are available on YouTube, so without further ado, let’s take the next 30 minutes or so to bask in the best of Christopher Nolan.
10) ‘Memento’ – I’m chasing this guy
In this mind-boggling puzzle of a film, we follow Leonard as he picks up the pieces of his memory after his wife’s murder. The attack left him with a damaged hippocampus, meaning that he can never remember anything for more than a few minutes. The film is cut into segments and presented backwards, meaning that the audience never really knows what’s going on when each scene begins.
As this scene illustrates, neither does Leonard.
9) ‘Insomnia’ – Log Scene
Oh my God. If you’ve never seen this scene or this movie, please take a second to watch the video above. Okay, did you involuntarily stop breathing and start freaking out like we did?
Not a lot of people remember Insomnia for exactly what it was: a tense, rich, Hitchockian thriller with some of the greatest actors in film history. The scene above perfectly illustrates how Nolan takes the mundane and twists it to make it seem lifelike, and yet deadly. This scene makes it on to the list for being such a frequent guest star in my nightmares.
8) ‘The Dark Knight’ – Bank Heist
I remember lining up for a midnight showing for some movie called I Am Legend at a theater in Ontario when I was 18. I didn’t care about the movie, what I cared about was the sneak peek at The Dark Knight that would run before it. It turned out the midnight showing was sold out, so my friends and I waited an additional three hours to catch the footage at 3 a.m.
All I remember was that it was absolutely worth it.
The action was pulse-pounding, the ultimate joke of the last man standing was a perfect way to introduce the villain, and the logistics going into the actual robbery were enough to make me reconsider Christopher Nolan’s past. Where did he get that $7,000 budget for Following anyway?
7) ‘The Prestige’ – Jail Trick
This is the only scene on this list for The Prestige, and although there’s plenty of grim and brilliant moments throughout the film’s running time (including the ending scene, which I really wanted to include), this is always the moment that comes to mind for me.
This macabre magician versus magician tale has no lack of twists and turns, but it’s the actual tricks that keep the magic alive in this film. In theaters, this scene almost completely changes what the viewer thinks they know about the magic in this universe. It isn’t until later when they buy the DVD does the viewer realize that Alfred drops his ball suspiciously close to the guard’s key ring.
6) ‘The Dark Knight’ – Kill the Batman
Yes, this is the second Dark Knight scene on here. No, it’s not the last. Shut up.
Although the Bank Heist scene functions as the audience’s first introduction to the clown prince of crime, this was the first time we really got to see Heath Ledger lavish in his performance. His intonation makes every single line an instantly quotable classic, and his spectacular finish (“let’s not BLOW this out of proportion”) rings perfectly authentic to the archetype of The Joker that we’ve come to love through the comics and the animated series.
And man, I just can’t get that pencil trick out of my head.
5) ‘Inception’ – You’re waiting for a train…
As the emotional core of Inception, Mal’s story is a complicated tale to tell. After we find out about that critical moment in their honeymoon suite (jeez, how is that scene not on here?), it can be easy to see her as just some crazy villainess.
This movie is known for being heavy on back-end exposition, but it does so in the best way possible. By showing us how Cobb manipulated his wife, we can see how his guilt gave birth to this dream dominating force. As far as movie villains go, you really can’t get more complex than your own guilty subconscious getting back at you for making your wife go crazy.
On Page 2: Which Nolan scenes made it to the top 5? Which of Nolan’s movies did I leave out entirely? Find out!
5b) ‘Inception’ – …we will be together
Okay, fine. I’m cheating. Whatever. Let’s get on with the list.
Earlier I mentioned that Inception gave us lots of stuff to take in right before the ending, but this moment is why its worth it. It tugs on our heart strings with this boundless love story in order to give us a happy and resolved ending with Mal, someone whom we thought had already met a terrible fate.
Sure, it takes a lot of explaining, but we get to rejoice in the fact that this timeless couple was able to live out their lives in their fantasy dreamworld, so that’s just fine. Man, is someone chopping onions nearby or what? What is it about wrinkly old people hands that always gets to me?
4) ‘Memento’ – Ending
I feel a strange obligation to explain my absolute obsession with Memento, and you’ll find out why in a bit. Memento was the first DVD that I ever bought with my own money. I didn’t really know who Christopher Nolan was, and I certainly didn’t understand it the first time I watched it. But I showed it to every single friend I had, and they probably all thought I was weird because I was 13 years old.
Somewhere around my eighth viewing (during which I sat my cousin down and made her watch it with me), I actually understood the ending and saw it as Christopher Nolan intended a grown-up mind to see it. Until that moment, as far as I was concerned Teddy was the bad guy. Yeah.
Precious few endings are able to completely change a film and do so in a satisfying way. Memento gets better with every viewing, and it’s in part due to – you know, it’s probably best if I just shut up and let you watch it yourself.
3) ‘The Dark Knight’ – Good Cop Bat Cop
This scene was the headliner that everyone came to see when they bought a ticket to see The Dark Knight, and for good reason. Even before the confrontation gets physical, the Joker’s philosophical queries and manic quirks give us a raw look into his psychology. It sounds crazy, but in a way, you can’t help but agree with the guy covered in makeup.
“They’re only as good as the world allows them to be.” How do you get any better than that? You don’t. You don’t get any better than that.
When the fight elevates to become physical, we see Ledger at his absolute psychotic best, delivering a haunting laugh with the words that would define his character: “You have nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all of your strength.” Ledger asked Bale to actually punch him during these scenes to help him react perfectly. Let’s just hope they used boxing gloves or something and not Batman’s reinforced gauntlets.
Also, sorry about not having any scenes from The Dark Knight Rises or Batman Begins. I had to make room for all these scenes from The Dark Knight. I’m sure you understand.
2) ‘Inception’ – Hallway Fight
Not many films can say that they constructed a massive spinning set in order to get the shot just right. Christopher “I just directed The Dark Knight” Nolan, however, convinced Warner Brothers to let him spend an embarrassing amount of money on a physics project that he disguised as a film-making venture.
This scene stands as a monument to practical effects over digital effects. It shows that with perfect engineering, endless imagination, and actors willing to step foot into the spinning hallway death-trap contraption, you can truly accomplish anything.
1) ‘Memento’ – Sammy Jankis
Although awesome effects and big budget tom-foolery can show you a ton about a director, nothing shows their chops like a really great short story. A story within a story, the tale of Sammy Jankis is woven into Memento expertly through the fact that Leonard and Sammy suffer the same memory affliction. Leonard even has “remember Sammy Jankis” tattooed on his hand to help him remember his own condition every time he snaps into consciousness.
I highly recommend watching the movie in its entirety, but if you want a short introduction to the protagonist’s brain injury and don’t want any real spoilers concerning the events of the film (depending on how you interpret the very open ending), then feel free to watch this heartbreaking collection of scenes above as a quick sample of what Memento is all about.
*Bonus* ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ – Ending
Okay fine! The Dark Knight threequel gets a lot of flack (and it DESERVES IT), but several scenes stand out in my mind when I really sit down and decide to let denial get the better of me. This ending perfectly encapsulates everything the series was leading toward, it wraps up the film in a satisfying way, and it keeps the symbol of Batman living strong.
Yes, it’s a little glib to actually name him Robin, and yes I wish they had just let Michael Caine look at the camera and start his blubbering without the shot of Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway, but you know what? I didn’t direct the rest of the film, so where do I get off thinking that I can direct this part?