Following [1998] – Directed by Christopher Nolan

Finally I have done it :-) I’ve seen all of Nolan’s works till date. I had this movie in my collection for a long time but somehow never got to see it. It’s so apt that I had to watch it after Inception.

Following was his first feature film which was made with a meager $6000. The story is about a writer in London who follows people at random to observe and to get inspiration for his book. He has some rules in following people, like never follow the same person twice. He starts to follow a thief more than once and this turns his life upside down.

For a thriller which deals with crime there aren't any usual fight sequences or extreme stunts, without any of these it commands your attention with just the crazy screenplay. It is a bit hard to follow but it all ties up in the end. Nolan has repeated this style in his later works namely Memento, The Prestige, Batman Begins and Inception. I feel this movie has a lot of similarities to Inception; it toys with the viewer’s mind but at a much slower pace. It’s in Black & White which is in no way a negative to watch and enjoy the film.

Updated: Christopher Nolan’s track record is envious purely considering his box office success. It all started with a short film named Doodlebug in 1997 [You can watch it in you tube]. He may not be in the league of the greats like Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese. I don't think he will reach their status unless he strikes a balance between his extreme commercial ventures like Batman trilogy, Inception and now Interstellar to movies like Prestige, Insomnia and Memento. The most common thing for me about Nolan's films is the experience while watching is always Amazing (except for Dark Knight Rises) but later when you think about the movie, it always feels like Nolan is trying so hard to impress the viewer that it shows. When all said and done Christopher Nolan is still my favorite commercial filmmaker from Hollywood.

Cheers

Pradeep