Christopher Nolan: Ranking All 9 Of His Movies From Worst To Best
4. Memento
Though it's doomed to be known as 'that film about memory loss,' Memento never once uses protagonist Leonard Shelby's condition as a gimmick. Yes, the film is told in reverse, but it's not a cheap trick used purely to incite interest - this directly mirrors Leonard's own fractured perception of reality, making Memento's unusual structure a way to service the plot rather than an unnecessary selling point.
Despite only being his second feature film, Nolan handles this odd structure and some big, big stars - including The Matrix alum Carrie-Ann Moss - with all the expertise of a Hollywood veteran, Memento's potentially confusing narrative instead coming across as confident, digestible and logical.
The movie can be ambiguous to a fault and it certainly takes more than one viewing to fully appreciate, but in that, Memento showed us exactly the type of filmmaker Nolan would go on to become. He doesn't just want to give us something to watch, he wants to give us something that makes us think.