Every Christopher Nolan Movie, Ranked

Outside of the Dark Knight trilogy, Inception remains Chris Nolan's most popular movie, and in many ways his most revealing. It's another twisty tale that revels in its uncommon structure and ambiguity, as a team of thieves infiltrates the minds of the rich and powerful to steal their greatest secrets and plant ideas that could become their undoing. 

With its jam-packed cast, led by a haunted Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception rarely pauses for breath, its characters constantly trapped, racing against the clock, fighting to escape the tangled mysteries they've woven around themselves. But despite its breakneck pace, it also applies plenty of drama to its central players, each more tormented and mysterious than the last.

A tragic fever dream about memory and reality, grief and betrayal, Inception is not a perfect beast (notice how much of Nolan's script has his characters dumping exposition at every turn), but it remains an unforgettable thriller all the same - so creative, ambitious, and full of wonder that in this often frustrating era of lifeless blockbusters, it still feels like a miracle.