The best Christopher Nolan movies, ranked (including Oppenheimer)

3. The Prestige

Based on the book of the same name by Christopher Priest, Nolan’s psychological thriller The Prestige premiered in 2006. Exploring themes of obsession, sacrifice, and of course, magic, the movie follows two rival magicians who go head to head to outdo each other. Their bitter competition leads them to dark paths as they develop their craft.

The stellar cast in The Prestige and the gripping storyline are the biggest highlights. Christian Bale stars as magician Alfred Borden opposite Hugh Jackman as his rival Robert Angier. The film’s supporting cast includes Scarlett Johansson, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, and David Bowie.

The cast as a whole is very impressive, but Bale and Jackman acting together is just magic. Both are fantastic actors and are able to complement one another’s styles while playing morally ambiguous characters.

Nolan keeps us on our toes in The Prestige, unsurprisingly, making for a narrative of twists and turns before a memorable climax. Again, unsurprisingly, the movie uses nonlinear storytelling to show us what happened. I particularly enjoy this entry for how dark it gets, and its suspenseful tone throughout. While some viewers might think the storyline is too complicated or convoluted, it works for me.