2. Women Who Turn Loyalty at the Flip of a Dime
I've talked about my disdain for Nolan's female characters at length on other sites before. When they're not flat, boring, lifeless mannequins (making sure you get the point), they're shifty, unreliable, backstabbing characters who use their sexuality to get what they want. Or, if they're decent human beings, caught in the web of the protagonist, they don't live to see the end of the film or trilogy (Rachel Dawes - The Dark Knight, Sarah Borden - The Prestige).
"Good women are the Sean Beans and Steve Buscemis of Christopher Nolan movies."
Look at Memento, where we're treated to Carrie-Anne Moss in the role of Natalie, who near the end of the film takes advantage of his handicap right in front of him, and then walks into the house crying and spreading her flithy, Nolan-woman lies. Then, check out Johansson's character Olivia in The Prestige, who is literally used as a device to go back and forth between the two men and double-cross one (or both) of them at the same time. Then, you can't get any better than Marion Cotillard in Inception, who goes crazy and spends the rest of the movie as an illusion destroying Cobb's plans. Even Ellen Page's character bends the rules and goes against Cobb's wishes when she investigates Mal in the dream world. And then, of course, The Dark Knight Rises, where we're given not only Cotillard in a "gotcha!" role once more, but the character of Catwoman; who, in Nolan's defense, is supposed to be catty and shifty. Luckily, if you've seen any past Bond films, you know that with the exception of two or three movies, women are fairly expendable and double-crossing in that franchise. I'm glad Eva Green shook that up (well, not the not expendable part), but she was an excellent addition to Casino Royale, and I, for one, would like to see a bit more of females like her in the--wait. She betrayed Bond, too. Your track record is looking good, so far, Nolan.