Nolan's Green List: 7 Movies That Are a Must-Watch, According to Oppenheimer Director
The director's favorite movies are a perfect reflection of his own style.
Christopher Nolan is one of the most influential directors of our time. His approach to non-linear and complex scenarios appeals to audiences and critics alike, and his name has become a powerful brand, with his projects earning hundreds of millions of dollars.
It is all the more interesting to find out what movies Nolan himself likes.
1. Chinatown
Roman Polanski's Chinatown, starring Jack Nicholson, won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. With this movie, Polanski launched the neo-noir subgenre that became popular in the 1970s.
Nolan was struck by the tragic ending, which made him look at the whole movie in a different way.
2. The Offence
Sidney Lumet's leading man was undoubtedly Sean Connery – together they made six movies. The Offence is an underrated masterpiece and probably Connery's finest performance.
Nolan agrees, in his opinion there is a level of Sean Connery’s skill in this movie that the viewers will not see anywhere else.
3. The Hitcher
At the time of its release, The Hitcher failed at the box office and received mediocre reviews – only years later, the movie, directed by debutant Robert Harmon, would become a cult classic and one of the most important works in its genre.
In Nolan's opinion, the leading actor Rutger Hauer is criminally underrated and at the peak of his talent in this movie.
4. JFK
Three years after the tragedy, the District Attorney reopens the investigation into the assassination of John F. Kennedy. During the course of the investigation, Mister X appears and sheds light on the killing and provides complete information on the individuals involved.
Nolan believes that this is the kind of movie that allows viewers to think and be entertained at the same time.
5. The French Connection
The plot of the movie revolves around the capture by New York detectives of a gang of criminals involved in the transportation of heroin from France. The movie was nominated for eight Oscars and won five.
Perhaps Nolan was most hooked by the legendary chase scene, which the creators even shot without permission.
6. Sorcerer
Another movie by William Friedkin, the director of The French Connection, which Nolan chose.
Four men are transporting nitroglycerin in two large trucks. The roads are awful, and the dangerous cargo can explode at the slightest bump. They still have two hundred miles to go, but there will be more than bad roads ahead.
7. Insomnia
Two Swedish detectives arrive in a small Norwegian town to help the local police investigate a murder, when the killer makes a single miscalculation that allows the detectives to ambush him.
When Nolan first saw the movie, he thought it was flawless. According to the director, he did not set out to outdo the original in his 2002 remake, but to continue the exploration of complex moral dilemmas.