ENLARGE 'The Prestige' (2006) Mr. Nolan's follow-up to 2005's "Batman Begins" reunited him with Caped Crusader-portrayer Christian Bale, as well as Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson and David Bowie, in a tale of rival magicians and lethal tricks.
Nolan has always been prone to making hermetic, self-serious movies, from his 2000 breakthrough film " Memento " to "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight."
Inception is written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the man who brought us The Dark Knight, The Prestige, Batman Begins, Insomnia and Memento.
The writer-director who reinvigorated the Batman franchise with “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” gives the summer a needed jolt of intelligence with “Inception,” a riveting and mind-bending thriller that challenges “Memento” as Nolan’s masterpiece.
Sure, we know that Nolan, who directed "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight," but also numbers the time-twisting "Memento" among his credits, handles complex subjects and large canvases with relative ease.
And there’s a fully realized supporting cast — from the ever-sly Joseph Gordon-Levitt, to “Batman Begins” grads Michael Caine and Cillian Murphy, to Ellen Page, thankfully leaving her slangy “Juno” persona behind to play a whip-smart architecture student.