Every Christopher Nolan Movie Ranked Worst To Best

Nolan's most underrated feature, Insomnia features two of the best performances he ever directed, courtesy of a haunted Al Pacino and a chilling Robin Williams, and a level of careful craftmanship to suggest he was ready, just three films in, to direct a major blockbuster.

Quintessentially Nolan, the thriller follows a cop with a past whose sanity is tested by a suspected murderer in small town Alaska. It has none of the epic sights of his later films, but the character work is first rate, and his explorations of human evil and desperation are difficult to shake.

Unfortunately, Insomnia is also painfully dreary, its slow-burn intensity and mighty moodiness turned up a touch too high for you to ever get comfortable with it. The performances sing, the mystery is delicately controlled, but its overbearing drabness could have done with dialling down.

Minimal flaws aside, though, we have Insomnia to thank for a lot. Without it, Nolan may never have been handed the keys to his Batman trilogy.