Christopher Nolan: Ranking All 9 Of His Movies From Worst To Best

Nolan typically writes the movies he directs, but with Insomnia, he was purely behind the camera. This wasn't a bad thing; after penning and helming both Following and Memento, the change allowed him to take a step back and focus on honing that visual flair to complement his already-acclaimed storytelling chops.

And it worked, because the direction here is stunning, the film possessing a heap of scenic beauty and great use of fog and mist to add to the protagonist's perpetual feeling of uncertainty. Nolan's first two movies told engrossing tales, but visually, they were fairly standard - Insomnia was an essential experience in the effects of visual storytelling.

Since Insomnia was a remake, Nolan had his hands more creatively tied and as a result, the film lacks a lot of the intelligence and wit found in Memento. It's simple and it's straightforward, excelling visually and ensuring the director was comfortable handling someone else's material - a trait that would come in handy when a certain superhero came along a few years later...