Every Christopher Nolan Movie, Ranked

10. Insomnia (2002)

Christopher Nolan considers Insomnia the most important film of his career - the studio picture with big-name actors that allowed him to ease his way into the big world of blockbusters and Batman. It's also more than a stepping stone, a brilliant little thriller in its own right that remains the director's most underrated feature.

A remake of the Norwegian thriller of the same name, Insomnia follows a haunted detective (Al Pacino) who's sent after a murderer (Robin Williams) in a sleepy Alaskan town where the sun never sets. A brilliant game of cat-and-mouse ensues, as Pacino faces his demons in a town that won't let him sleep.

Dreary but never dull, brooding but never boring, Insomnia revels in its menace and the contrasting performances of its leading men, finding Nolan in vintage form.

It goes where you expect, in the end, and maybe it's a tad too miserable, but Insomnia still offers a harrowing tale of deceit, suffering, and mystery that proves difficult to shake once the credits roll.