British-American Film-maker Christopher Nolan is now one of the most recognisable talents in Hollywood, Founding the production company Syncopy Films. Best known for his masterful control of non-linear storytelling techniques, he has been able to pave his career with some of the most beloved films of the last decade. In the wake of his new film Inception, being released later this weeks, here's a look at his earlier contributions.

Following (1998)

The Young Man (sometimes referred to as Bill), is a writer who, intent on breaking the monotony of his lonely life, decides to follow people as they go about their daily lives. Caught in the act of following by Cobb, a burglar who to an extent shares the same interest in others' lives, Bill is taken on as a student and is taught of the values and twisted morals of Cobb's world of breaking and entering. Again breaking his own rules, Bill finds himself getting involved with a woman (known in this case only as 'The Blonde') whose flat was earlier invaded by him and Cobb. This sets up a triangle of deceit and betrayal that takes place between Bill, Cobb and 'The Blonde'.

Following, the first feature length film from writer/director Christopher Nolan, is an intense and intriguing, if not minimalistic piece. Shot in black and white on 16mm film stock and filmed through the streets and various locations around London, Following is a deceptively low budget feature. Regardless, Nolan is still able to apply a sleek tone to what is a stylish and gripping crime thriller, applying a masterful control over non-linear storytelling, as the film jumps forwards and back without the need for proper explanation. From the opening, in which we are not narrated to as an audience as such, but merely given parts of a conversation of Bill's in order to understand his story, what Nolan in fact does is place us in the position of Bill, taking pieces of another persons life and attempting to get a whole picture from it.

With it's classic noir traits entwined with it's modern storytelling techniques, Following is a film that not only begs, but earns multiple viewings. It's various twists and turns make for some genuinely intriguing character moments and while it has it's flaws, and the pay-offs may not leave everyone satisfied, by the time they're reached, the build up alone is worth the watch. Distinction

Memento (2000)

If you’ve ever wondered what the difference is between “plot” and “story,” look no further than Nolan’s sophomore effort, Memento. Like his debut film, it’s a twisted and fractured noir, populated by unpleasant types, and anchored by an esoteric, obsessed protagonist. The film, for those of you who are unaware, is told predominantly in reverse order, while being intercut with ethereal black-and-white segments that progress in a standard fashion. This is not some arbitrary device thrust onto the narrative for a mere gimmick, however – the protagonist, Leonard (brought to life with considerable skill by Guy Pearce), has no short-term memory. The most astonishing thing about the film, with its elliptical plot, is that it manages to have a shocking and disturbing “ending” that is essentially the start of the story. No small feat, but enough to invite viewers back time and time again.

Memento marked Nolan’s first collaboration with cinematographer Wally Pfister, and as their partnership has developed over the years, so too has the quality of Pfister’s work, to such an extent that he is now one of the finest craftsmen of his field. Nolan’s emerging talents are also on display here – his visual style is more refined, more focused than it was in Following, and he shows his eye for (mostly) immaculate casting. It will always be remembered as the film that heralded Nolan’s arrival as one of the most significant filmmakers in Hollywood of the time, but it hasn’t dated a bit. It’s still just as cool, intriguing, and thought-provoking as it would have been on debut. Distinction

Insomnia (2002)

A remake of the 1997 Norweigian film of the same name, Insomnia is the story of Detective Will Dormer (Al Pacino), who, with his partner, is sent to a remote Alaskan town to investigate an alarming teen murder. Closing on the murder, Dormer finds himself accidentally killing his partner, covering evidence as he continues his investigation, both aided and challenged by an idealistic local cop. As his guilt and sleep deprivation begin to consume him, Dormer is compromised by the mind games of the primary suspect, reclusive writer Walter Finch (Robin Williams) and must either face his guilt, or embrace his corruption.

The resulting film was both fairly similar and wildly different from it's original. In Al Pacino, the film found an emotional fatigue that encompassed the lethargic yet intense tone for the film, which often wavers between moments of frantic desperation and moments of guilt-ridden depression. With his morally challenged character Will Dormer, Seitz's script allows for a far more sympathetic and redeemable protagonist, one in which the audience can appeal to despite his mistakes and corrupt tendencies. In Pacino's Dormer, we find an arc of a character seeking out redemption far more actively. The discomfort that Nolan plays with throughout the film with Dormer's insomnia, mixed with his deep guilt-ridden regret seems to surprisingly drive the film and serve as a means of progressing the story far better than the relatively simple plot that plays out around him.

While generally recognised as the least accomplished effort by Nolan, that doesn't mean it is not a decent film. It is fluent, deliberate and successful in it's intent, and as an adaptation, it alters the story appropriately for a far different audience. Some complain that Pacino's Dormer is far less morally ambiguous than Skarsgard's officer Jonas Engstrom in the original, but by the ending (far different from the original), it's not the same film, and was never setting out to be. Credit

Batman Begins (2005)

When handed the reigns of the ailing (or, dead, not to put too fine a point on it) Batman film franchise, Nolan looked to Richard Donner’s 1978 film of Superman for inspiration. Although he would never admit it, he managed to forge a mass-market work of entertainment that left Donner’s film in the dust. Bringing in a huge ensemble cast that was largely populated by Poms or quasi-Poms (Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, and the aeroplane captain from “Father Ted”) as well as Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes (remember her?), Ken Watanabe, and Rutger Hauer (remember him?), Nolan managed to reboot the franchise, and make one of the definitive comic-book movies of all time. Also serving as his inspiration was Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, which provided the basis for a lot of the film’s aesthetics, and perhaps even some of its themes and ideas.

Instead of making a goofy funhouse of a film, Nolan wisely focused his film on Bruce Wayne, and how he is both influenced by father figures such as his trusty butler Alfred, the enigmatic and charismatic Ducard, and his slain father Thomas Wayne. The film similarly looks at how Bruce, as Batman, hopes to inspire the city of Gotham for the greater good, with the help of his childhood friend/crush Rachel Dawes, now a DA, and the humble cop Jim Gordon. Although Nolan’s film manages to bring ideas about its characters to the table while dealing with subtext and themes and all that lofty stuff, it still manages to be a hell of a lot of fun. Although it has a few niggling issues here and there that prevent it from being a total classic, such as a few moments of lazy writing, and a slightly disappointing climax, it is still one of the smartest and most entertaining blockbusters on the… block. Distinction

The Prestige (2006)

Weaving between the lives of two rival performers in the realm of magic as they attempt to build their own careers while hindering each others, The Prestige is anything but simple. Starting as assistants together under a rival magician, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) both aspire to make a career with differing approaches, and after a fatal incident, part ways as enemies. Constantly attempting to best each other in every aspect of their lives, Borden and Angier's jealous rivalry leads to a war of deceit and tragedy.

Based on a novel by Christopher Priest, Nolan throws his audience in from the get go with an unusual confidence in their capabilities of understanding what is happening on screen through his recognisable non linear storytelling. The deceptions of the audience and the various dispersal of information creates for the audience an access point into the invasive minds of the dual antagonists as they each discover the secrets of their rival. Rife with abhorrent characters, the film is driven by the moral dilemmas and choices that are faced by not only Angier and Borden, but those who have chosen to be a part of their lives. Nolan takes the themes of obsession and morality and explores them to their fullest, and he treats the progression of the story much like a magic trick in the film, featuring distractions and reveals that are both astonishing and intriguing.

With seemingly endless twists and turns, Bale and Jackman are fantastic and are supported by a strong backing cast including Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie in a surprise role. The mood is incredible as it achieves what turns out to be a film spanning crescendo which will leave you on the edge of your seat by it's conclusion. Dense, sometimes confusing, but always engaging, The Prestige is a film that stays at you well after the curtains close. High Distinction

The Dark Knight (2008)

The Dark Knight was Nolan’s first attempt at a sequel, but instead of merely creating a continuation of Batman Begins, he opted to go for a gargantuan extrapolation and expansion of his earlier film, creating an immense work that dwarfs all other works of popular entertainment made in the last decade. Drawing from Michael Mann’s Heat this time, and with his brother Jonathan as co-writer, Nolan’s sixth film catapulted him straight to the top of the pantheon of modern mainstream filmmakers. It is an exhausting work that drags the viewer into a fully realized, fully populated world that is cruel and unforgiving, but by the end of the saga, Nolan affords us life-affirming, and uplifting moments, without a shred of sentimentality or compromise.

The film itself is a sprawling crime drama, rather than a comic-book adventure. Aesthetically divergent from Batman Begins, it features a recast Rachel Dawes, with Maggie Gylenhaal replacing Katie Holmes, and only shares one actual set with the original film – which appears briefly, in a single scene. Bizarre, perhaps, given the nature of the film and what was to be expected, but Nolan and his cronies were clearly interested in creating a work that truly stood on its own. The plot centres on three characters: Batman (Christian Bale), Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), and Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), three good men, who unite to stop an unstoppable incarnation of purest evil, the Joker (Heath Ledger). This incarnation, this devil, in turn takes the purest of the three men, and by expounding upon the failings and compromises of the other two, manages to twist him into an agent of evil. This lofty story is then refracted through the trappings of a crime drama, and the cross-pollination resulted in one of the most successful films of all time, both critically and financially. And deservedly so – it’s a work of refinement on all levels, from the technical aspects to the artistic ones.

It’s a film that transcends its genre and instantly became one of the greatest sequels of all time – one that unambiguously eclipsed its predecessor. It’s a full meal, but one that ultimately leaves the audience begging to see just what comes next. Nolan apparently has every intent to conclude his story as a trilogy with the next instalment of his Batman saga – it’s infuriating to think that we have to wait another two years at least to see just where this will go. For the time being, we shall have to content ourselves with Inception. High Distinction

by Jared Webster & Timothy Maddocks

Inception will be released on Thursday 22nd July