20 Best Film Directors Of The Decade (So Far)

4. Christopher Nolan

Best Directors
Warner Bros. Pictures

2010s Films: Inception, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar

Upcoming Projects: Dunkirk

It's become somewhat fashionable to bash Christopher Nolan recently, although it seems more like cine-hipster stylings rather than genuine distaste for his style. His films are, as they always have been, genuinely plotted, astutely shot, surprisingly cast and, contrary to common criticism have real emotional heft. Kubrick comparisons are a discredit to both men, but there's no avoiding Nolan is a modern master, shown in his 2010s work.

Inception was his masterwork, a thinking man's blockbuster that explored varied scientific and thematic ideas through a no-let-up plot, The Dark Knight Rises a wholly underrated, literary-inspired end to his Batman trilogy, while Interstellar was a daring attempt to go bigger than 2001. Whether it worked or not is up for debate, but taken for what it is (rather than what people wanted), it's incredibly accomplished filmmaking.

After being in sci-fi (to some degree) since 2005's Batman Begins, it's rather gratifying his next film is a major departure - World War II drama Dunkirk.

Contributor
Contributor

Film Editor (2014-2016). Loves The Usual Suspects. Hates Transformers 2. Everything else lies somewhere in the middle. Once met the Chuckle Brothers.