Interstellar
Drone Chase Through a Cornfield
Every once in a while a movie comes along that captures the sense of wonder and nostalgia I feel when I watch something like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., Jurassic Park, and so on. Last year Interstellar did just that, and while I had my own minor problems with the film I was digging it almost immediately because of the sequence you see above and the ways in which Nolan channels his inner Spielberg.
The setup is simple: a father takes his two kids to school for parent-teacher conferences but becomes distracted when an old military drone flies across the sky. Cooper and his kids chase the drone through a cornfield and almost right off a cliff, and as they do it I sit with my eyes wide open and wearing a stupid grin on my face.
Batman Begins
Bruce Trains with the League of Shadows
Comic book movies are well-known for their action set-pieces, but for all the action it contains Batman Begins feels pretty restrained when compared to the two films that follow it. One such restrained sequence: Bruce (Christian Bale) training with the League of Shadows, showing off the skills he has gained during his time training with the group. “To conquer fear you must become fear,” Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) tells him, and in this scene we see Bruce overcome his own fears by controlling his mind and channeling that fear toward something greater.
Like much of the film the scene is scaled down and feels claustrophobic at times, but that is in keeping with the feelings Bruce experiences while working through his problems and his past and learning how to become the symbol Gotham desperately needs.
The Dark Knight
Prologue / Joker’s Introduction
While Mr. Nolan cites his prologue for The Dark Knight Rises as his favorite, I’m of the opinion that his prologue for that film’s predecessor is far superior. It may not include as impressive of stunts or effects work, but the opening scene to The Dark Knight is a showcase in story setup and character building: after those first five minutes we understand the Joker’s twisted sense of humor, his ability to plot and plan, and his proclivity for anarchy. We feel the stakes immediately — rarely has tension existed in a comic book movie as evidently as it does here. It’s breathtaking.
Hans Zimmer‘s score aids the scene, as Zimmer’s scores are wont to do, and when the Joker (Heath Ledger) pulls off his mask to reveal those scars and the thick paint applied over them, we know we are witnessing the beginning of something very, very special. If this isn’t Nolan’s best sequence, I don’t know what is.
Bonus: Batman Interrogates the Joker
I know I told you I was only giving you six, but hey, sometimes you’ve got to break your own rules — school is out for me, forever, so I’m celebrating by sharing one more scene with you. The clip you see directly above features Heath Ledger and Christian Bale in The Dark Knight, as Bale’s Batman interrogates Ledger’s Joker. For as minimal as the scene appears, it is one of the best in the film, an excellent example of how to create tension simply by placing two characters in a room together. I think it’s an awesome reminder that sometimes the best scenes in any film, action or otherwise, involve two characters talking — even if one of them is wearing heavy makeup and a colorful shirt-vest combination while the other is in a black armored suit made of Kevlar and rubber.
Well there you have it guys, a list of a few of my favorite sequences from Christopher Nolan’s impressive body of work. Now you can go home and tell your family and your friends about everything you just watched and read, or you can take to the comments below and tell us all what some of your favorites are.
There are obviously some I failed to mention, seeing as I limited myself to a certain number of scenes and also because everyone I know seems to love The Prestige, yet it is among my least favorite Nolan films, so that movie didn’t even get mentioned until now. Sorry, guys, that’s just how this works sometimes. Anyways, what say you? What are your favorite sequences from Christopher Nolan’s work? Sound off below and let your voice be heard!
