Ski Chase
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: Eames engages in a snow-capped, downhill chase with the projections of Fischer’s militarized subconscious. It’s a little bit thrilling!
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Vehicular pursuit (a snowmobile in this case) coupled with the usual heart-pounding accompaniment from Hans Zimmer equals a classic Nolan action scene.
Precursor
The Film: Following (1998)
The Moment: Following ’s protagonist (known only as The Young Man) sports a Batman sticker on his bedroom door. Coincidence? We think not…
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Following , Nolan’s first cinematic release, is a tightly plotted thriller that’s well worth seeking out on DVD. As for the Batman reference, yes of course we know its an accident, but it’s the sort of thing that sets our geek senses a-tingling, so we thought we’d include it anyway!
On The Run
The Film: Insomnia (2002)
The Moment: Detective Dormer chases the killer (Robin Williams) through a forest so foggy he can barely see his hand in front of his face.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Insomnia was initially given to Nolan by Warner Bros to see how he would handle a big studio film, and it's scenes like this weirdly beautiful woodland pursuit that will have won them around. Suitably impressed, Warner realised they’d found the man to breathe new life into the Batman franchise…
Burn Baby Burn
The Film: Batman Begins (2005)
The Moment: Ra’s al Ghul and his League Of Shadows chums make an unexpected appearance at Bruce’s birthday party, burning the place to the ground as a rather unwelcome gift. Many happy returns!
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Wayne Manor had been a staple of previous Batman films, so it's only fitting that Nolan should burn it down at the first time of asking!
The Mechanics Of Magic
The Film: The Prestige (2006)
The Moment: Michael Caine’s venerable old magician explains the three step format of your average magic trick, in his own inimitable style: “You're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick has a third act, the hardest part, the part we call ‘the prestige’."
Only In The Nolan-Verse: In the speech above, you have the film in a nutshell. Nolan tells his audience what he is going to attempt to do, and then sets about doing it. Rather like a magician, come to think of it…
The Kiss
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: Arthur steals a kiss from Ariadne in an attempt to convince Fischer’s subconscious that they aren’t intruders. “They’re still looking at us,” exclaims Ariadne. “Yeah, it was worth a shot,” smirks Arthur.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: A rare and most welcome moment of humour and romance in an otherwise action-heavy part of the film. Let it never be said that Nolan doesn’t know how to mix it up.
Dark Distraction
The Film: Batman Begins (2005)
The Moment: Batman escapes from Arkham thanks to a bat-based diversion created via a sonar device attached to his boot.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Whilst it takes a back seat in The Dark Knight , the significance of the bat symbol itself is given ample exploration in Batman Begins . A visually stunning sequence, and a significant one as well, as it represents the point at which Batman / Bruce has finally conquered his childhood fear.
Opening Extraction
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: Cobb and Arthur attempt to perform an extraction within the subconscious of corporate bigwig Mr. Saito. Trouble arises when the memory of Cobb’s dead wife shows up to throw a spanner in the works.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Talk about throwing your audience in at the deep end! Nolan keeps the exposition to a minimum and kicks things off with an action-packed extraction sequence, with barely a scrap of information given about what exactly Cobb and Arthur are after in the first place! Are you concentrating? You’d better be…
Never Answer The Phone
The Film: Memento (2000)
The Moment: Leonard is speaking to an unknown caller on the telephone, whilst fiddling with the bandage covering a new tattoo. As he gradually peels back the dressing, the message “never answer the phone” is revealed.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: The message combined with the eerie ambient music creates a thoroughly unnerving effect in the viewer, all part of Nolan’s grand plan to keep his audience off-balance.
When A Stranger Calls
The Film: Insomnia (2002)
The Moment: The killer rouses Detective Dormer from a fitful sleep to explain his motivations for murdering Kay Connell.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Casting Robin Williams was a Nolan masterstroke, with the former stand-up on career-best form as Al Pacino’s disconcertingly composed nemesis. This telephone exchange captures their uncomfortable alliance perfectly, with Pacino forced to reign in his emotions as Williams patiently explains how he came to kill the young woman in question.
The Curtain Falls
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: Gary Oldman’s epic voiceover closes the film by explaining why the police will now chase Batman: “Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we'll hunt him because he can take it. Because he's not our hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector. A dark knight.”
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Possibly the single greatest collaboration between Nolan and composer Hans Zimmer, whose rousing score ensures everyone leaves the cinema covered in goosebumps!
What Dreams Are Made Of
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: Cobb explains the structure of dreams to eager pupil Ariadne, his points helpfully illustrated by an unusually flexible cityscape.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: This is the scene in which Nolan really gets to show off the CGI wizardry at his disposal. Cue the sound of a hundred jaws hitting the floor as the audience is taken for a beautifully rendered trip around the director’s imagination.
Pacino Investigates
The Film: Insomnia (2002)
The Moment: Detective Dormer turns the full force of his icy detachment on teenage murder suspect Randy, telling him that his “fuck the world attitude might work with your momma… but it ain’t gonna work with me.”
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Under the influence of a lesser director, Pacino might have lurched into full-on hoo-ha mode in this interrogation scene. Instead, he turns in a masterclass in controlled aggression.
Watching The World Burn
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: Alfred attempts to assist Bruce in getting his head around the Joker’s motivations: “Some men aren't looking for anything logical, like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.”
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Michael Caine has been in more of Nolan’s films than any other actor, and with material like this to work with, its no wonder he keeps coming back. When a dose of good-humoured gravity is called for, Caine is Nolan’s go-to guy.
Greetings Card
The Film: Batman Begins (2005)
The Moment: Lieutenant Gordon presents Batman with his next case at the end of Batman Begins : “Take this guy: armed robbery, double homicide. Got a taste for the theatrical, like you. Leaves a calling card.” It is, of course, a joker.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Nolan signs off with a flourish designed to send the fanboys in the audience (and everybody else, to be fair) into raptures. As one eagle-eyed reader pointed out when this appeared in our recent Batman feature, the name of the officer who recovered the card from the scene is one J. Kerr…
Find A Pen
The Film: Memento (2000)
The Moment: Natalie has just revealed her plans to manipulate Leonard, safe in the knowledge that he won’t remember it. So begins a frantic race against time for Leonard to find a pen and jot down what’s just happened…
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Such is the ingenuity of Nolan’s high-concept set-up, that even the most mundane of activities is imbued with an almost unbearable tension. The fact that Natalie is sat outside watching makes things all the more sinister.
Dropping The Ball
The Film: The Prestige (2006)
The Moment: Sick and tired of the taunts of a prison guard, Borden uses sleight of hand to handcuff him to a desk.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: There’s the old Nolan humour shining through once more. Borden starts by verbally outwitting his opponent (“I’m going to learn all The Professor’s secrets” – “Only if I teach you how to read.”) before conning him into thinking he dropped his ball by accident. “How d’you get so famous then?” asks the guard, mockingly. “Magic!” comes the reply.
Elevator Memories
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: Ariadne takes the elevator down to the darkest recesses of Cobb’s subconscious, the hotel room in which his wife committed suicide.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Marion Cotillard’s performance is excellent throughout the film, one part haunting to two parts menace. In this scene however, she’s utterly terrifying! Only in a Nolan film could the “love interest” be this off-kilter!
Pep Talk
The Film: Batman Begins (2005)
The Moment: Ducard talks Bruce Wayne through his worldview on the fight between good and evil: “If you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can’t stop you, then you become something else entirely… a legend, Mr. Wayne.”
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Nolan starts his bat-series as he means to go on, taking a bold step by beginning the film outside of Gotham, but using the lengthy prologue to establish Batman’s credo from the outset.
He's Chasing Me!
The Film: Memento (2000)
The Moment: Another chapter of Leonard’s fragmented life begins in typically idiosyncratic style. As Leonard “comes to” to find himself pursuing Dodd, his internal monologue provides the commentary. “Ok, so… what am I doing here?” he begins. “Oh, I’m chasing this guy. No… he’s chasing me!”
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Nolan acknowledges the audience’s confusion throughout his structurally complex story, and plays around with Leonard’s (and our) disorientation to occasionally humorous effect.
SWAT Attack
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: Batman attempts to prevent a SWAT team from mistakenly executing the Joker’s hostages, whilst simultaneously dealing with his craftily disguised henchmen. It’s quite a tall order!
Only In The Nolan-Verse: It’s a thoroughly dizzying sequence, in which confusion reigns over everyone but Batman. See, even Nolan’s action sequences are devilishly convoluted!
Welcome To Limbo
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: Cobb visits the Limbo world he and Mal created together, now in a state of collapse having spent so long without use.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Nolan’s vision of Limbo is a staggering creation, particularly the beach-set scenes in which the world around Cobb appears to be disintegrating.
Truck Stop
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: Batman’s cunningly place trip-wires to send the Joker’s truck flipping through 180 degrees, and brings The Dark Knight ’s big car-chase sequence to a stunning halt.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Nolan’s films are rightly praised for their structural complexity and pitch-perfect dialogue, but the man can handle action too. Building on the good work achieved by the Tumbler chase in Batman Begins , the truck scene is The Dark Knight ’s most unashamedly OTT shot of adrenaline.
Knotty Issue
The Film: The Prestige (2006)
The Moment: Borden’s impetuousness proves immeasurably costly, as his use of a new type of knot causes Angier’s wife to drown in the water tank.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: It’s the key plot point that gets the story moving, but Nolan invests it with such teeth-grinding tension and nightmarish detail, that it feels like an end to itself. Horrifying and compelling in equal measure.
The Incident
The Film: Memento (2000)
The Moment: Leonard’s flashback memory of the violent home invasion that so damaged his mind.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: It’s a beautifully composed little sequence, ramming home the violence of what’s happened to our protagonist, before visually mirroring his current state of mind. As Leonard’s blood slowly leaks onto the blank white canvas of the bathroom floor, it’s almost as though we’re literally watching his memories seep down the plughole.
Masked Man
The Film: Batman Begins (2005)
The Moment: Dr. Jonathan Crane dons his special mask for the first time, sending tough mob boss Carmine Falcone into paroxysms of terror. He’ll be sleeping with the light on for a while.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Scarecrow is Nolan’s concession to the more cartoony nature of the traditional Batman vision, and he’s still entirely terrifying. Also worth a mention is the hideous bat-creature that Crane witnesses when his mind-altering serum is turned on himself. Scary stuff.
The Kicks
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: The film’s climactic dream-sequence comes to a close as a series of kicks are triggered to bring Cobb’s team back into consciousness.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Having pushed the audience’s powers of concentration to the max, Nolan grabs all his various strings together and neatly recaps the various levels of consciousness each team member is working at in just over two minutes. Masterful stuff.
Mystery Woman
The Film: Memento (2000)
The Moment: Leonard attempts to shake a Polaroid of Natalie into focus, only for the image to come out blurred and indistinct.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: On account of his condition, everybody Leonard meets seems somewhat inscrutable, but none more so than the mysterious Natalie. Carrie-Ann Moss is exceptional in keeping her character’s motivations close to her chest, and the blurred photo is an apt visual cue that keeps her tantalisingly out of reach of Leonard’s comprehension.
Drunken Double
The Film: The Prestige (2006)
The Moment: Hugh Jackman is given free reign to ham it up to his heart’s content with the introduction of his on-screen double, the dissolute actor Root.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Root’s introduction is another way of throwing the viewer off the scent of what is to come, being as he is a perfect doppelganger of Jackman’s Robert Angier, but not one of the clones who will appear later. In a film in which secret twins and cloning machines exist, the ludicrously opportune appearance of a perfect (unrelated) double for one of the two magicians serves to get audiences questioning what they’re looking at well before the big reveal.
Sammy Jankis
The Film: Memento (2000)
The Moment: Leonard is describing how he identifies with Sammy Jankis’ condition, when a split-second shot shows him sitting in Sammy’s place.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: It’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it indicator that the whole Jankis story (a brilliantly-acted interlude from Stephen Toblowsky and Harriet Sansom Harris) is but a product of Leonard’s damaged mind. Nolan loves his clues, doesn’t he?
Mobbed Up
The Film: Batman Begins (2005)
The Moment: An indignant Bruce confronts Carmine Falcone, who proceeds to explain to him that despite the presence of moneyed clans like the Wayne Family, the real power in Gotham rests with him.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: One of the key characteristics of Nolan’s bat-series is his willingness to bring organised crime to the forefront of Gotham’s problems. Part of what marks his saga out from what has gone before is the existence of gun-toting, “real-world” villains, as opposed to ice-skating henchman and pun-spitting super-villains.
In A Spin
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: As Cobb is reunited with his children, his spinning top totem spins merrily away on the table. Is it about to fall? We’ll never know.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Some might have been frustrated by this ending, but to our mind, its perfectly in keeping with the rest of the film. Nolan was never going to slap “IT WAS ALL A DREAM” over the final scene, was he? This ambiguous ending allows the viewers to make their own minds up by re-examining all that has gone before. Now, is he wearing his wedding ring or isn’t he?
Ziggy Tesla
The Film: The Prestige (2006)
The Moment: Not so much a moment as an entire passage of The Prestige , but every time David Bowie appears on screen as scientist Nikola Tesla, a deliciously uneasy tension is conjured up by the sheer bizarreness of his performance.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: It shouldn’t really work to be honest, but as proven by Nolan’s choice of Robin Williams for Insomnia , he’s not afraid to make bold casting decisions.
Break For Banter
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: Bruce and Alfred share a joke before the former heads to turn himself in. I suppose they’re going to lock me up as well,” begins Alfred, “as your accomplice.” “Accomplice?” responds Bruce. “I’m gonna tell them the whole thing was your idea.”
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Humour is an underrated element in Nolan’s films, and the easy dynamic between Michael Caine and Christian Bale brings some much-needed levity to proceedings, particularly when things begin to take a turn for the worse in The Dark Knight .
Dinner Time
The Film: The Prestige (2006)
The Moment: Returning from a misadventure in which “Fallon” has been buried alive, Borden attends a dinner with both his wife and his mistress. Things do not go smoothly.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: It’s a scene that really benefits from a second viewing, as Borden’s apparent cruelty to his wife is explained somewhat. Meanwhile, Fallon’s obvious discomfort is more easily understood. He’s not just feeling awkward at the scene created, he’s furious with his twin for treating his wife so shabbily.
Mombasa Chase
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: Having liaised with Tom Hardy’s Eames, Cobb realises he’s being tailed an hurtles off into the streets off Mombasa, his old friend causing a distraction to buy him a little time.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Nolan always knows when to temper his more psychologically taxing films with a dose of good old fashioned action, and this Bourne-esque foot chase is exactly that. Meanwhile, Hans Zimmer’s pounding score keeps the adrenaline pumping, as ever.
Swear To Me!
The Film: Batman Begins (2005)
The Moment: Batman interrogates crooked cop Flass by dangling him from a tenth story balcony, dropping him to within an inch of the ground, then hauling him up and repeating the process. “I don’t know, I swear to God,” gibbers the hapless copper. “Swear to me!” roars Batman.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: More physical, more threatening, more effective. The scene condenses Nolan’s view of Batman into a punchy three-line sentence.
Watch Carefully
The Film: The Prestige (2006)
The Moment: Actually a series of moments in which Nolan hints at The Prestige ’s big reveal, that Alfred Borden is one of a pair of twins. His beloved frequently comments that when he tells her he loves her, she can tell when he means it and when he doesn’t. When Borden shows the bird-cage trick to a little boy, the distraught youngster asks, “where’s its brother?” When Angier dismisses the goldfish bowl routine as too much trouble, Borden looks pensive. All of the above are pointers towards Borden’s grand deception.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Nolan might like to twist and tease his audience but he does tend to play fair. The clues are in there, if you’re prepared to look for them…
Bedside Manner
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: The Joker pays Harvey Dent a little visit in hospital, disguising himself as one of the ward nurses. Nice wig.
Comic-Book Cool: Don’t get us wrong, the pencil trick is excellent, but Nolan also deserves credit for allowing Ledger to take the character to some pretty out-there places. Having the Joker dress as a woman might have been funny back in Schumacher’s day, but here, it's just plain disturbing.
Memento's Prestige
The Film: Memento (2000)
The Moment: Teddy tells Leonard that the two of them found his attacker years ago, and that Leonard is wilfully deceiving himself to give his life purpose. Confronted with a choice between painful truth and blissful ignorance, Leonard takes the latter path, setting in motion the film’s first / last scene, in which he shoots Teddy.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: It's an extremely satisfying end to Nolan’s twisty-turny narrative, and evidence of his unwillingness to cheat his audience with the final reveal. Although there is the business of his tattooed chest to account for…
Leonard's Tattoo
The Film: Memento (2000)
The Moment: After Teddy explains the truth concerning Leonard’s past, Leonard closes his eyes and is presented with an image of himself lying in bed with his wife, the message “I’ve done it” tattooed on his chest.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Just when you think you’ve got your head around the film’s pay-off, Nolan throws a speck of doubt into the ointment. Flashbacks tend to appear in black and white, but this one doesn’t. Is this a mental image he conjured up after killing the real John G? And if so, why hasn’t he forgotten it? Why is the tattoo not written backwards? Was Teddy even telling the truth? Aaaargh!
Getaway Car
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: Having organised Rachel Dawes’ explosive end and Harvey Dent’s permanent disfigurement, the Joker’s plan comes fall circle as he escapes from prison in a stolen police car.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Rachel’s death illustrates just how far Nolan is prepared to take the series into the darkness, and the woozy shot in which the Joker leans his head out of the car window serves to disorientate the viewer still further. Nolan completes the effect by fading the sound down to near silence as Heath Ledger turns the facial tics up to eleven.
Mission Statement
The Film: The Prestige (2006)
The Moment: Angiers tells Borden why he did the things he did: “The audience knows the truth: the world is simple. It's miserable, solid all the way through. But if you could fool them, even for a second, then you can make them wonder, and then you... then you got to see something really special... you really don't know?... it was... it was the look on their faces.”
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Angiers might be talking about magic, but essentially, he’s serving as a mouthpiece for Nolan’s vision of movie-making.
Bank Job
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: A collection of clown-faced crims knock off one of Gotham’s mob banks, each member of the crew killed by one of his accomplices until only the Joker is left standing.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: It’s a scene that sets the tone perfectly for everything Nolan sets out to achieve in The Dark Knight , primarily the theme of escalation. In Batman Begins , much of the action took place under the cover of night, but Joker is happy to operate in the bright morning sunlight. He kills his associates with a casual indifference, and his mask makes Scarecrow look like a children’s entertainer. From the off, the audience is made aware that they’re in for something very different indeed. Oh, and the IMAX cut looks beautiful as well!
The Entertainment
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: The Joker crashes Bruce’s fundraiser, terrorising the guests before engaging the host in a bruising fist-fight.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Having the villain crash a swanky Gotham party is the sort of set-piece that would have cropped up in one of the Tim Burton or Joel Schumacher instalments. However, in Nolan’s hands it’s less camp vaudeville than an exercise in psychological terror. Witness the Joker’s stalking of Rachel if you don’t believe us…
Spinning Around
The Film: Inception (2010)
The Moment: As the van carrying the team careers off the edge of the bridge, Joseph Gordon Levitt’s Arthur finds himself attempting to engage in a bout of fisticuffs as the corridor of the dream-landscape revolves around him. Trust us, it works a lot better up on screen!
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Inception is chock full of visually arresting sequences, but few capture the director’s aesthetic flair than the revolving corridor. Dizzying to watch, one can only imagine what it was like to film.
I'm Batman!
The Film: Batman Begins (2005)
The Moment: Having scared the living daylights out of a warehouse full of goons, Batman drags Carmine Falcone from the sunroof of his car and screams his new identity in the face of the terrified mobster.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Nolan’s Batman is an angry, violent anti-hero. Christian Bale’s performance captures that nicely, but Nolan writes in some great little touches to hammer the point home. Having Batman tie Falcone to a spotlight in order to fashion a makeshift bat-symbol is a case in point.
What Was Lost
The Film: Memento (2000)
The Moment: Leonard sits awake in bed, explaining the crippling loss he feels after the death of his wife: “I don't even know how long she's been gone. It's like I've woken up in bed and she's not here, because she's gone to the bathroom or something. But somehow, I know she's never gonna come back to bed. If I could just reach over and touch her side of the bed, I would know that it was cold, but I can't. I know I can't have her back... but I don't want to wake up in the morning, thinking she's still here. I lie here not knowing... how long I've been alone. So how... how can I heal? How am I supposed to heal if I can't... feel time?”
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Much is made of how clever and complex Memento is, but what often goes unmentioned is how bloody heartbreaking it can be! Nolan certainly knows how to put his audience through the emotional wringer.
Interrogation
The Film: The Dark Knight (2008)
The Moment: The pivotal head-to-head in the police station, in which Batman shows the Joker his unique brand of interrogation.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: Its an intensely physical scene, with Nolan shining a light upon one of the key themes of his bat-saga: when the bounds of civilised society are stripped away, is Batman so very different from the people he intends to stop? One thing he does have over the Joker however, is a self-imposed rule. Or is that something the Joker has over him?
The Prestige
The Film: The Prestige (2006)
The Moment: The film’s final scene reveals Nolan’s personal prestige – the revelation that Borden is one of a pair of twins, and Robert Angiers has been creating and drowning clones of himself on a nightly basis, in order to perform the transported man.
Only In The Nolan-Verse: It’s a haunting and upsetting conclusion, in a similar vein to Memento ’s downbeat ending. And it also has Nolan’s signature brand of “what the fuck?” written all over it!
