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Is Christopher Nolan the Newest Greatest Director Alive?

esquire.com — After breaking box office records this weekend with the newest Batman installment, The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan may just be the newest Greatest Director Alive.

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  • TylerDCA, on 07/22/2008, -22/+121Greatest director alive? Is that a joke?

    Scorsese, Eastwood, the Cohen bros are all possibilities, not Nolan.
    • protogenxl, on 07/23/2008, -18/+11Eastwood?
      • Trav3133, on 07/24/2008, -4/+6he makes great movies.
      • ZenMojo, on 07/24/2008, -3/+25Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby, and Letters from Iwo Jima called. They all say you need to get out more.
      • GJBlizzard, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3A Perfect World.
      • whahaa, on 07/24/2008, -3/+0firefox.

        the one with the soviet jet controlled by brainwaves.
      • tas08, on 07/24/2008, -3/+1psssssssh on Million Dollar Baby.
      • digidelia, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1not to mention Mystic River
      • protogenxl, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0Did he do battle with the amazing RANDO?
      • Koushiro, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1Yeah, I'll agree. Those movies were all terrible and Eastwood is responsible for them. Shamefully bad.
    • Shiftgood, on 07/24/2008, -7/+16Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, Michael Goundry (sp?) and whoever the hell is over at pixar.
      • Trav3133, on 07/24/2008, -9/+2don't say wes anderson :(
      • Shiftgood, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5Too dry? i love dry.
      • GJBlizzard, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3Anderson's great. Gondry's only good at director other peoples stuff.
      • FearlessFreep, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Charles Band, Roger Corman
      • pierre99, on 07/24/2008, -2/+0Darjeeling Limited was terrible, and Sofia Coppolla and Michele Goundry have only made one great film each.
      • protogenxl, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0Brad Bird
    • dbarefoot, on 07/24/2008, -9/+2Way to stick with the Americans.
      • GJBlizzard, on 07/24/2008, -0/+7Way to provide others.
      • skaughtm, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Kar Wai-Wong, Hsiao-hsien Hou, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Pedro Almodovar, etc. If you can't drop in a non-American name than you're incredibly biased or undereducated.

        Scorsese is about the only living American director providing a steady output of films that people actually respect, revere and study.
    • gfxlonghorn, on 07/24/2008, -11/+5I know I am going to get dug down to *****, but Scorsese has only won one oscar for a movie the pretty much copied, Eastwood has made some good movies, but no Amazing movies. Same goes for the Cohen brothers. Nolan has an amazingly good track record, but I don't think anyone can really that anyone of these guys are the greatest living director.

      "The question is whether people will be able to look past the creepy poignance of Heath Ledger's posthumous performance to see the stealthy, oddly underappreciated virtuoso at the helm."
      Since when was the movie underappreciated?
      • GJBlizzard, on 07/24/2008, -0/+6Scorsese is easily at the top of the list.

        Christopher Nolan has made what, 5 films? That's not even enough for a track record. Plus, Insomnia sucks the amazing out of that list pretty quick.

        Comparing a director who has been making films that have been regarding as "greats" for almost 40 years and someone who has been making movies for less than 10 years, is ludicrous.
      • tjmb9, on 07/24/2008, -0/+10I'm sorry, but the Cohen brothers haven't made any amazing movies??

        Fargo, The Big Lebowski, The Hudsucker Proxy, Barton Fink, Miller's Crossing, No Country For Old Men, O Brother Where Art Thou, The Man Who Wasn't There....

        None of those are amazing?!?
      • tehHardcorez, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Yeah, I'm digging you down and adding a big "***** you" too for attempting to tarnish Eastwood's films. I mean Unforgiven, for ***** sake.

        And many more established people would disagree with your opinion of Insomnia, GJB.

        I think this whole thread is turning into fail.
    • scarecrow2k6, on 07/24/2008, -7/+4Haha Its like saying Steve Jobs or whoever behind the Iphone is the greatest tech person in the world. Wow why do people don't mention Lucas and Spielberg (Color Purple) these days?. Well I would have included Kubrick but he is not alive. Heck, I would put Tom Hanks far ahead of Nolan.
      • GJBlizzard, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3You must really like "That Thing You Do!"
      • rzurad, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Lucas? Are you kidding me?

        Lucas is a great visual storyteller, but he can't direct actors for *****.
      • skaughtm, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1because lucas isn't a filmmaker, he writes stories.
    • GramarNazi, on 07/24/2008, -1/+6It was mentioned in the article, so this is hardly an astute observation, but the thing about Nolan is his sheer consistency. His career has not been a long one, but every movie that he's made that I've seen (which is all of them except Doodlebug and The Following) have been outstanding: The Prestige, Memento, Insomnia (the weakest of the lot, but still very good), and both Batman movies. While I think it's a little premature to label him as the best director alive, I think that was the point of the article: to speculate (hence the question mark). Memento by itself reflects Nolan's versatility, as it was one of the only movies of its kind to pull off what many would have laughed off as an impossibility (for an entire movie to be played backwards in plot, and still engage and surprise the viewer).

      Personally, I've seen movies by each of the directors you mentioned that I either didn't like much, or hated, and another notable concept is that there is really no set criteria to judge who the "best director is." The author of the article used his own criteria of which director would promise the greatest ticket sale for his next movie. Whether you like his movies or not, I'd say that The Dark Knight almost irrefutably proves this article's point, which broke almost every weekend record despite falling in a genre that many people don't take that seriously.
      • GJBlizzard, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Then the article needs to be renamed and have something to do with young directors.

        It's not fair to say "I've seen movies by each of the directors you mentioned that I either didn't like much, or hated,...." when you're comparing directors who have made over 20 or 30 films to a someone who's directed 5.

        After adjusting for inflation The Dark Knight didn't do better than Spiderman 3.
      • cspivack, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3You should see Following, it's very good.
      • BobZombie00, on 07/24/2008, -0/+0I like your Insight GramrNazi.
      • GramarNazi, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1GJBlizzard,

        That's a ***** claim, even if it's close.

        Dark Knight outdid S3 by 4.6%, and inflation since May of 2007, is hovering around 4%.

        And why does he have to rename the article? He's not categorizing directors, he's speculating which directors can guarantee a better box office. Based on the small sample he has to draw from (small, but consistent), he is offering Nolan as his choice.
    • bludo, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5David Lynch anyone ? Lars von Trier, Coppola
    • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -6/+3It's not a joke. There are many good directors but there's no doubt Nolan has proved himself to be amongst the greats. Memento, The Prestige and The Dark Knight are 3 classics that qualify him in my book.
    • moviscop, on 07/24/2008, -3/+13Paul Thomas Anderson???????????????

      Boogie Nights
      Magnolia
      There Will Be Blood
      Punch Drunk Love

      C'mon people, he is by far the greatest modern filmmaker.

      David Lynch, a close second :)
    • SolituSneiku, on 07/24/2008, -4/+5for those who can't read...it says "NEWEST"
      • doctordbx, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2For those who can read the title makes you wince anyway.

        Newest Greatest? WTF?
    • mrsteveman1, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2No joke, hes the greatest best director god ever gave man on the face of the earth.
    • timothycrash01, on 07/24/2008, -0/+7Scorsese, Milos Forman, Copolla, David Lynch, Roman Polanski, David Fincher, Coen Brothers, Michael Mann, Kar Wai Wong, Jean Jaques Jeunet, Terry Gilliam, PT Anderson, Lars von Trier, Michael Haneke, Spike Jonze, Steven Spielberg, Luc Besson, Frank Darabont, Sam Raimi, Ridley Scott, John Carpenter, Clint Eastwood, Sidney Lumet, Robert Zemeckis, Ang Lee (excluding the Hulk), Wolfgang Peterson, Woody Allen, John McTiernan, Alejandro Iñárritu, Oliver Stone, Rob Reiner, Guillermo del Torro, Norman Jewison, Terrence Malick, Alfonso Cuarón, etc., etc.,

      Nolan's got some competition me thinks. ;-)

      • skaughtm, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1zemeckis? reiner? mctiernan? these guys have made some decent films but their catalogues are like diamonds covered in *****.
      • timothycrash01, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I put that many, just in case a few people were nit picky. So take away the ones you don't like and keep the other 20 or so. Just trying to please everyone. ;-)

        However, if everyone judged Zemeckis by his early career (The Back to the Future 1 & 2, Romancing The Stone, etc) then we wouldn't have a problem.Let's see Nolan in 20 years time. Same goes for Reiner - considering Stand By Me, This is Spinal Tap and The Princess Bride were in his first 4 films as a director. Same with McTiernan with ***** Die Hard and Predator as his 2nd and 3rd film FFS. If were going to judge Nolan by his early career, let's do the same with the others.
    • frozensnake, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2am i the only one who likes tarantino and Robert Rodriguez?

      also Gorge A Ramiro is worth mentioning.
      • timothycrash01, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3The script for Inglorious Bastards is supposed to be ***** amazing (understatement from the hype I've heard around the leaked copy). If Tarrantino pulls off a better film than Pulp Fiction with this upcoming film, he'll solidify himself as one of the great directors of his generation. If it sucks, then he's got some problems. And it'll start to seem like Roger Avery really was the genius behind his earlier films. I think Rodriquez needs to make a film as good as Sin City - without the help of Frank Miller - if he's going to get more credit. So far, he's got Desperado, Dusk Till Dawn and Spy kids to fall back on as a solo director.
      • frozensnake, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1well i thought planet terror was amazing. and he was pretty smart the way he went about makeing el mariachi with such a low budget.

        but yea. sin city wasn't 100% his fault.
    • Shawh, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Have got to add David Lynch to that list too.
    • sifeliz, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1watch "Following" great flick
    • Csaliture, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4I will have to go ahead and nominate James Cameron as the greatest living director alive. Three movies all with a 100% rating on Rottentomatoes.com (Aliens, T1, T2), all of which are amazing movies even by today's standards. And the highest grossing film of all time, ie: Titanic - $1.6 Billion. Christopher Nolan still has a ways to go before he can top that track record.
    • fokov, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3All this goes to show is that this site is owned by moronic teens that do not know ***** about real films or how they get made. There was nothing revoluationary about this work. The movie was better than a good rating, but it wasn't ***** Apoc Now, Godfather, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, Terminator, Rocky or anything close.

      Some people need to get their minds our of the consumerism mentality they are being forced to become. That is why Hollywood sucks these days.
    • DjArcadian, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2Have you seen Nolan's body of work? He's a very impressive director. Following, Memento, Insomnia, Prestige, Batman Begins, Dark Knight. He doesn't have a miss in there. I like that he focuses on story. You don't see that with many modern directors besides maybe the Coen Brothers.
  • netgeek06, on 07/22/2008, -8/+35I would rather go with Scorsese, and Francis Coppola.
    • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -3/+4Apart from Godfather (I & II) what other good movies has Coppola made?
      • whataboutdave, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5Are you ***** serious? Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest films ever made.
      • bludo, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5Apocalypse Now
      • aday, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5Are you ***** serious? Jack is one of the greatest films ever made. I mean it stars Robin Williams, JLo, and Bill Cosby all in one movie!!!
      • tehHardcorez, on 07/24/2008, -5/+2It says NEWEST in the headline...***** christ, can you morons read?
      • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Geez, it was just a question! I'm not familiar with his work...
        I've heard of Apocalypse Now, will give it a watch.
        (looked up Jack and all the awesomeness of Robin Williams and Bill Cosby is cancelled by the presence of Fran Drescher *shudders*)
      • skaughtm, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4the conversation is also a superbly made film. unfortunately its standing between the legs of apoc now and the godfathers.
    • jellydoughnut21, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5Everyone always forgets Paul Thomas Anderson, and that is a shame.
      • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3Well... I drink your milkshake =)
  • sandersdamnit, on 07/22/2008, -21/+17@ The LastSmoker what the ***** does a movie being based on a comic have to do with being a great movie you filmdouche. Coppola hasn''t made a good movie in years I love Scorsese and the Cohen brothers are great, but Christopher Nolan has not made a bad movie. period. He is one of the best out there right now. I don't believe that there is ONE greatest director alive, and ***** Peter Weir makes some pretty good movies but Master and Commander, that's probably the most boring excuse for a movie I've ever seen, it was just an excuse to put Russell Crowe in a ponytail. Christopher Nolan>Peter Weir and I'll throw in Eastwood for good measure, Flags of our Fathers= Long Winded and ***** boring.
    • Trav3133, on 07/24/2008, -5/+4use the reply function next time.
    • EmerilLIVE, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4I thought that Master and Commander was a wonderful movie.
      • SolidSnake24, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1the average moviegoer would find it boring, i really enjoyed it!
    • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3Agreed brother. Nolan is a god. Eastwood is a good director (I really love Mystic River) but he is not perfect. Even Iwo Jima felt really badly paced (and it's much better than Flags of our Fathers). The Prestige is one of my all-time favourite films and look at the complexity of that story and how easily he pulled it off, never losing pace. He is definitely a great director.
      • timothycrash01, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Okay - not sure why your using only Eastwood's new films as a reference. I mean, this is the same guy that made Pale Rider, Outlaw Josey Wales, Bird, Unforgiven - and who can forget The Bridges of Madison County...just kidding.
    • timothycrash01, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2I don't know man. If Jon Favreau can make a great superhero action film - then I'm not giving directors too much credit for the genre. I mean Favreau is the guy who made 'Elf' and 'Made'. makes you wonder about this comic movie stuff. Besides, out of Nolan's 6 features - 2 of them are below average: Insomnia (horrible remake) and Following (somewhat decent indie film). So Nolan's resume is the same as most other great modern directors, including Fincher - a couple bad films, but all the rest are brilliant.

      If you want directors who are consistently good you're going to have to look at directors who haven't been around too long. Every great director has made bad films (Hitchcock, Kurosawa, Scorsese, Fincher, Michael Mann, Lars von Trier, Milos Forman, etc.) This doesn't detract from the fact that they are all great directors - and for most part, far superior than Nolan in their craft.
  • Babblin5, on 07/22/2008, -11/+1No... that would be Jay and Kevin
  • mwrl, on 07/22/2008, -18/+32Sorry I feel out of my chair laughing. Is this guy serious?
    • jellydoughnut21, on 07/24/2008, -1/+10you can't say bad things about Batman on digg!! DUGG DOWN DUGG DOWN!!
  • voltaTTak, on 07/22/2008, -5/+62Memento, the Prestige?
    • GJBlizzard, on 07/24/2008, -13/+5The Prestige - A movie that's great the first time you watch it, then have no desire to watch it again.
      • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -1/+13Wow, I found it to be completely the opposite. I watched it the first time and was blown away. The second time I fell in love with it. Third time and it became an obsession. It's one of all-time favourites.
      • skaughtm, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1you just quoted the front of the dvd, bravo.
      • Verugan, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Yeah I love watching those king of movies again because you pick up on a lot of the little details that you may not have been paying attention to. The Prestige and Memento are awesome...
    • tas08, on 07/24/2008, -2/+5Both great.
    • Cnat, on 07/24/2008, -9/+4Memento was incredible. The Illusionist was better than The Prestige though both were good. Don't forget Insomnia.
      • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -3/+5I don't understand all the Prestige/Illusionist comparisons. They're completely different...
      • doctordbx, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3They came out the same time, and were pipped head to head as movies about magic. What's to understand?

        I preferred the Illusionist too.
      • MOJIRA, on 07/25/2008, -1/+1The Illusionist was a garbage film, and I love Ed Norton.

        The Prestige was pure brilliance. There is no comparison, and if you watched both films you'd know that neither of them are about magic.
    • Knives, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4Memento is possibly one of the most innovative films of the past 30 years, and one of my favorites.
      BUT The Prestige was overrated. It turned Nikola Tesla in to some sort of wizard, and I thought that was very silly.
  • btschul, on 07/22/2008, -15/+7Kevin Smith?
    • poprocksandsoda, on 07/23/2008, -3/+6Tell 'em Steve-Dave!
      • btschul, on 07/23/2008, -2/+4Say, would you like a chocolate covered pretzel? They're a little melty, but damn, are they exquisite.
    • Trav3133, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1l o l.
    • GJBlizzard, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2Jersey Girl?
  • Kamatz, on 07/22/2008, -19/+26Alfonso Cuarón and Guillermo del Toro.
    • tattertech, on 07/24/2008, -0/+14Wow... This is guy is getting dugg down why? Both are very talented directors (and I figured while many in the Digg crowd might not realize who the first, everyone would have a hard-on for del Toro).

      Children of Men was extremely well directed (in fact the whole production was extremely good).
      • jgtg32a, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3I didn't overly like CoM but the directing was great, and I know dick about direction and whatnot, but it stood out in that film
      • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I don't like them as much as Nolan but they're great man. I agree that Children of Men is awesome!
    • blob4000, on 07/24/2008, -4/+1um.. no.
    • azurechaos, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4Y tu mamá también!!
  • Panzwhore, on 07/23/2008, -11/+38the answer to this riddle is no..
  • poprocksandsoda, on 07/23/2008, -11/+4Can Paul Greengrass get some love?
    • bixby1, on 07/23/2008, -2/+2That was the only other name I could think of on this list. I work in Hollywood and I have great respect for both but I've only worked with Paul. He is one of the coolest cats you'll ever meet.
    • innocentsinner, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2He gets no love from me due to his love of shaky-cam. Made the last two Bourne movies painful to watch.
    • Snick422, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Who?
  • adhavan87, on 07/23/2008, -10/+3yes
  • Fathom, on 07/23/2008, -5/+25Are you the biggest hyper-panderer ever!?!
    • mindsnare, on 07/24/2008, -1/+5You sir are made of win.

      Great movie, but fark guys, cmon now.
  • mcool119, on 07/23/2008, -11/+63Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Guillermo Del Toro, Francis Ford Coppola, and Clint Eastwood do still exist, am I right?
    • cadmiumpaint, on 07/24/2008, -10/+22Tarantino isn't in the same league as those greats you mentioned.
      • Sornos, on 07/24/2008, -4/+8Yes. He is. His movies are as "serious" and "moving" as the others' but they are very well directed.
      • Trav3133, on 07/24/2008, -2/+9Tarantino has pulp fiction and to a lesser extent Reservoir Dogs. That man has so much hype following him it is ridiculous. He is a good director. Don't overrate him.
      • avisotin, on 07/24/2008, -3/+10Agreed... Tarantino's only great movie were Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction... though I wish he's stop acting in his own movies too, because his own scenes in those movies sucked.
      • tattertech, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5@Sornos - Yes and no. He's very good at collecting a lot of references to other great directors more than anything. He just happens to do it very well and without seeming like he's ripping off people (it's a fine line - the Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz/Spaced folks are similar - and I do love them).
      • dafragsta, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2You guys forget that while he didn't direct them (though he aptly could have. He's a GREAT director) he also wrote True Romance (one of the most underrated movies of all time, if not for the cast alone) and Natural Born Killers.
    • moviscop, on 07/24/2008, -0/+5paul thomas anderson........ CMON PEOPLE!
      • dafragsta, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2Oh, you mean the guy who made great movies that were about 1 hour too long? I always get him confused with Peter Jackson.
    • crowbar77, on 07/24/2008, -2/+10Peter Jackson gets no love? I would say my opinion is definitely biased, but he should be at least considered.
    • whahaa, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1guillermo del toro does not belong in the same sentence as those other guys you mentioned.
    • Elranzer, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Never forget Peter Jackson (just forget King Kong).
  • TheMachine1, on 07/23/2008, -4/+5Its hard to quantify what a director does. On a massive budget movie you have a large division of labour that is making the project a reality. Now someone who does many successful low budget movies and does a major part of the work beyond just directing I label that great. Robert Rodriguez would be my first pick in the young age range that might have a bright future.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Rodriguez
    • dafragsta, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4I greatly respect him for his work ethic and his ability to learn every aspect of the craft, but his creative choices range from dead-on perfect in Sin City to "I can't believe you are seriously ***** doing this movie" in Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over
  • protogenxl, on 07/23/2008, -7/+1Well Unfortunately he has worked himself into a corner. The only super villains that can work in the Nolanverse are Clock King, Hugo Strange, Ventriloquist and Scarface, Anarky, The Mad Hatter, Hush, Maximillian Zeus, Mr. Zsasz, and Firefly. None of which can top the Joker. If he can get him self out of the corner without remaking Batman Returns he will be the greatest director ever.
    • Anpheus, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Yeah, he's totally worked himself into a corner. I'm sure you probably left out a few names too, but damn, it's such a pity he has only something like two dozen really good villains to choose from.
    • keithnoir, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1you just said hes in a corned and named a ton of villains he would never use...
    • marvin69, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Riddler?
      He can be portrayed as a very dark psychopathic killer that gets of running Batman crazy. Batman can be more like a detective like the books.

      Catwoman?
      Well a sexy chick in a black suit. Yes please.
      • protogenxl, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Joel Schumacher and Pitof are Spots that can not be cleansed.
  • Trav3133, on 07/24/2008, -8/+53the answer is no.
  • chkdg8, on 07/24/2008, -14/+2Yes, he could very well be.
  • lsumed, on 07/24/2008, -11/+64Ok, I'm sick of the Batman fanfare now.
    • arobicha, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4You know what I'm sick of? Digg articles that are titled as follows:
      "Pop culture subject: Loaded question?"

      Call me when people start writing articles without bias.
    • TheFoundry, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0Why so serious?
  • kinerry, on 07/24/2008, -17/+19David Lynch is...not this schmuck
    • keithnoir, on 07/24/2008, -8/+3David Lynch is not the best director. His work is interesting and cool at best.
      • slaver, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4For someone who's used to Hollywood scheisse it will seem that way. If you can't appreciate art stick to watching Pulp Fiction and The Departed. Dissertations have been written about themes explored in Lynch's movies. They are not meant to be an easy viewing and require imagination. Hard to say who the best currently working director is but anyone with half a brain would put Lynch up there. Dare I say that he's the only director currently pushing the envelope in film making in the US?
      • doctordbx, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1You know, sometimes all people want to see is a damned good movie, not someone's art project.
    • dafragsta, on 07/24/2008, -4/+1Oh, you're one of THOSE people. David Lynch wanted to be Stanley Kubrick, but he failed.
  • Fiestardi, on 07/24/2008, -9/+18Don't Believe The Hype. "Breaking box office records" ...So? It's just a Batman movie.
    • RMSzero, on 07/24/2008, -1/+3You might want to go see it before you say that.
    • iPodAddict181, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3I agree with RMSzero, although the movie is very hyped, it's still an excellent film. Heath Ledger's performance is phenomenal and the movie flows very well. The only complaint I have is Batman's synthesized voice, it sounds quirky and unrealistic. As for Nolan being the best director, no, he isn't. Yeah, he made one great film, but the key to greatness is consistency, so if he's going to be one of the best, he has to continually keep making great films, Esquire is stating this now because they're on a Batman "high", as with also 90% of movie watchers today. Not a very professional post to me, but, hey, they're people too, right?
  • laibixi, on 07/24/2008, -2/+11No!
  • vsujohn2, on 07/24/2008, -5/+6Why are most people saying "no"? I thought memento, prestige, and both of the newer batmans are excellent movies and expertly directed. My answer to the headline is: Why the hell not?
    • tattertech, on 07/24/2008, -5/+3Ugh. Prestige? Really?
      • vsujohn2, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1I guess you love to hate something that loads of people happen to like. Guess it gives you some kind of pleasure knowing that you didn't conform to the norm, and that you and only you hated a great movie.
      • Knives, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2That's called "Having an opinion" and lots of people have one. I for one thought The Prestige was pretentious and silly, they turned Nikola Tesla in to a wizard.
        But that's an OPINION.
      • tattertech, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1@vsujohn2 Wow. Jump to assumptions much? I actually have no idea how many people like, and don't really care. It was questionably paced, silly, and didn't really have anything technical about (from the cinematography or directing angle) that made it that special. The acting was pretty good (David Bowie ftw), but other than that...
  • viper001, on 07/24/2008, -0/+73Not until Uwe Boll dies
    • Mossman85, on 07/24/2008, -2/+3More like not until Nolan kills Uwe Boll.
  • smashingmonkey, on 07/24/2008, -3/+11Hey, another chance to argue over who has the right opinion!
  • cadmiumpaint, on 07/24/2008, -0/+4He will be a great director. I'd like to see him do some more non Batman stuff. I'm sure if he doesn't take a break before the third film to do another project, he will after pt3. no director wants to make a franchise a career.
    • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Watch The Prestige (and Memento, i hear it's even better).
      • cadmiumpaint, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1i've seen all of his films. Big fan...i just want to see him move forward with post batman stuff.

        Memento is pretty awesome.
      • LimeParrot, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Yeah man, I agree with you. Batman Begins surprisingly good and Dark Knights improved on it in every way. But my favorite film of his is still The Prestige. Man I love that movie!
  • Mootso, on 07/24/2008, -8/+2Greatest Director Alive? No. Dark Knight was good, Batman Begins was great!
  • prcpaul, on 07/24/2008, -7/+22wow, I can't wait for 5 months from now when no one cares about this film.
    • lonehunter01, on 07/24/2008, -4/+3Yeah, Digg is much better when it's all about Apple or Obama.
    • lazyfisherman, on 07/24/2008, -3/+3This Joker will have staying power..
      • neonoodle, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3They also said that about baggy pants and pet rocks.
    • GramarNazi, on 07/24/2008, -4/+9I can't wait for 5 months when you eat your words.
    • Chainheart, on 07/24/2008, -3/+1You, and whoever dugg you up, are idiots.
    • Mossman85, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2You are right. We'll be caring about the next Batman film
    • dafragsta, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2... because anyone ever stopped talking about how ***** awesome the first one was when Batman learned how to be Batman from ***** NINJAS!
    • MOJIRA, on 07/25/2008, -0/+1In 5 months it will be out on DVD and Bluray and it will get attention again.
  • MrTito, on 07/24/2008, -2/+15Mel Brooks.
  • thecoolestguy, on 07/24/2008, -9/+2The Dark Knight sucked :(

    Joker was a cooler character than Batman, and killed more mobsters than him too (several versus 0).
  • tknp, on 07/24/2008, -3/+6too many stories trying to ride the Dark Knight wave lately. I'm a big fan of the movie but enough with the stories already
  • MalusMalo, on 07/24/2008, -2/+9I wouldn't say greatest ... more like ONE of the most talented.
  • BradOFarrell, on 07/24/2008, -8/+1Why so serious?
  • FullMetalNIN, on 07/24/2008, -5/+19Seriously Digg. Take that bat-shaped ***** out of your ass already. The movie was awesome, but it wasn't earth shattering.
  • Fredo521, on 07/24/2008, -2/+45oh for *****'s sake
  • Betrayal, on 07/24/2008, -8/+4Oh god no. Just because Dark Knight is $ucce$$ful with the mainstream audience doesn't make him a great director.

    Many can throw in action scenes and explosions but few can touch people deeply with amazing storytelling.
    • tehHardcorez, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1In other words, you haven't seen this movie.
  • atlquaker, on 07/24/2008, -1/+14ummm, not yet. But four or five more like Dark Knight and Memento and I will begin to consider it...
    • loganrapp, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Finally, a sensible person.

      I've been following Nolan's career since Memento, and I've been a major fan of his. When I heard he was doing Batman Begins, I was genuinely excited.

      Is he the greatest director alive? I think Spielberg still carries that distinction - even though Indiana Jones was weak, but when Nolan builds upon his body of work and if he continues to put out better and better films (not counting Memento, which I love dearly, but it was a film utilizing a gimmick), he will become synonymous with the greats.
  • lazyfisherman, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4Ok I really liked the movie (minus the way dent got burned--that didn't quite make sense) but this is getting out of control...
    • brandonmat, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1When he tipped over the can and was laying on the floor gasoline spilled on half of his face..hence why only half his face lit fire so easily and the rest was fine. (just realized this right now aha). Christopher Nolan is a director with an articulate eye for detail.
  • socivitus, on 07/24/2008, -0/+9Both of the newest Batman movies were incredible, but greatest director that's alive? They wrote this article with one thing in mind...$$$ and controversy.
  • dagamer34, on 07/24/2008, -0/+7Let's not stick him on a pedestal yet. That's how directors get huge egos then start directing ***** well knowing people will still watch it (see Steven Spielberg)
    • widgetking, on 07/24/2008, -2/+1(see George Lucas)
    • digidelia, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1and James Cameron
    • loganrapp, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1Munich was only in 2005, and excellent.

      I find it strange that people will get down on Spielberg for what few misses he has. Even the Coen Brothers have missed (Ladykillers, c'mon).
  • reelskamachine, on 07/24/2008, -1/+7Greatest director alive? Just because this one movie was such a great hit doesn't make him the greatest director alive. That's like saying because i solved one math problem i'm the greatest mathematician alive.
    • tehHardcorez, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1NEWEST *****, can you read the headline? It's amazing what people WANT to read instead of what's actually written.
      • doctordbx, on 07/24/2008, -1/+0NEWEST GREATEST *****. Correct me if I am wrong, but the term greatest on its own impllies that the person is the best in the world. Not "one of the greatest"... but "greatest".

        It's not like the matter is subjective or anything.
      • skaughtm, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1newest, as in, he overtook the previous.
  • WSPanic201, on 07/24/2008, -4/+1Nolan has been my favorite for many years.
    • Medicamusic, on 10/28/2008, -0/+2Thank you
    • whataboutdave, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3Sir, I'm sorry to be the one to break this, but it seems nobody has been able to so far:

      You have no taste in film.
    • dreicher, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2And by many you mean less than 8? Nobody knew his name before Memento (2000).
    • WSPanic201, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Yeah thats what I meant. Actually I only meant around 4 or 5 years. Guess I should have just said "a couple years or so".

      Dave,Im sorry to break this, but I don't give a *****.
  • tattertech, on 07/24/2008, -3/+16Not even close. His directing of fight scenes (or any other fast action type scene) is mediocre at best. He had marked improvement between Batman Begins to The Dark Knight, but it was still poorly done when things happened fast. And beyond that, while both movies were good there was no wow-ing techniques done, but rather he kept the atmosphere in line with what fans wanted from Batman. The movies themselves were somewhat rough on the pacing at points and potentially a little bloated (at least that's my opinion). I greatly enjoyed both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, but there have been plenty of far better movies from a purely cinematic standpoint in the last year even.
  • petaganayr, on 07/24/2008, -4/+3No.
  • NeoSporin, on 07/24/2008, -5/+7Michel Gondry?
  • mchisari, on 07/24/2008, -5/+6
    For such a young director to have made such great films time and time again is pretty impressive. Following (if you haven't seen this, I highly recommend it, a really great first entry into directing), Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, Prestige, The Dark Knight. All really great accomplishments. I'm waiting patiently for him to pull an M. Night Shyamalan and start to go downhill, but I have a feeling that might not happen.

    Also, I don't think enough credit is given to Jonathan Nolan as a script writer. We'll start to see how Jonathan Nolan's stories hold up without Christopher when his upcoming films come out (including one directed by Spielberg). Maybe this is the key to not becoming an M. Night Shyamalan: Collaborate with someone of equal genius, so you're constantly challenged and never rest on your laurels. It seems to have worked out well for the Coen Brothers.

    One thing, I think, that seperates his movies out is that they aren't afraid to not only explore complex themes, but to center his movies around those themes. If you watch movies like The Prestige and The Dark Knight, almost every single line propels the theme along with the characters and the plot. Nothing is wasted, everything is deliberate, but it never feels forced.

    I've heard a lot of ideas for the third batman movie, and ever time I think, "well, this is a decent enough idea." But then I remember that ultimately, Christopher and Jonathan Nolan's vision is going to be better.
    • tjmb9, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2M. Night Shyamalan never made anything as good as the worst Nolan movie, so it would hard for Nolan to pull a Shyamalan, since he's not a hack.

      I don't think Nolan is the greatest director at all, but I do like the fact that the studios will probably put more effort into involving talented directors instead of Michael Bay types, since TDK is going to make so much money.
      • MOJIRA, on 07/25/2008, -0/+2Shyamalan has made some BAD movies recently, but you have to admit that Unbreakable or The Sixth Sense were better than Insomnia (which was good, but lacking something).
  • thegrantman, on 07/24/2008, -6/+7What a bunch of crap.The Dark Knight had plenty of problems;it was too preachy and over reached for starters.Esquires attempt to jump on the bandwagon leaves them flat on their ass.
    • Chainheart, on 07/24/2008, -0/+2Preachy how? It was a realistic expectations with many prominent themes, there was nothing preachy about it. It never told me to go do this or don't do that, it showed up what humans are capable of and our corruptible nature.
      • Chainheart, on 07/24/2008, -1/+1err.. major sentence breakdown in there, fix it with your imagination
  • spaceman84, on 07/24/2008, -2/+4His track record isn't even as good as an Aronofsky or Fincher, no less Ridley Scott, James Cameron, Spielberg, Eastwood, the Cohen brothers...the list goes on. He's a successful director, but not an amazingly talented one by any means.

    I mean, if sales = talent, pop music would be the pinnacle of our culture's achievement and the creators of reality television would be heralded as geniuses.
    • Alcoholicas, on 07/24/2008, -3/+5Aronofsky? Are you ***** kidding me? The Fountain was not only a terrible movie, but perfectly indicative of Aronofsky's lack of vision or direction.

      Nolan has not made a bad movie.
    • Chainheart, on 07/24/2008, -1/+4His track record is flawless, what the ***** are you talking about?
      • spaceman84, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Aside from The Dark Knight's financial success, his career has been above average, but not great.

        And Batman Begins was QUITE flawed.
    • TheMachine1, on 07/24/2008, -1/+2"if sales = talent,"

      You did list a lot of commercially successfull directors though as great. That kind of makes your premise faulty.
      • spaceman84, on 07/26/2008, -0/+1Aronofsky, Fincher, and the Cohen brothers have had limited financial success. And Ridley Scott has had his fair share of financial failure. Eastwood has been successful, but not anywhere near Scott or even Nolan. Cameron is the only one on the list who makes movies that always huge financial successes.
    • TalkingBanana, on 07/24/2008, -2/+2I don't know man, the Beatles were considered pop music.
      • spaceman84, on 07/26/2008, -1/+1The Beatles are also terribly overrated. The Rolling Stones too.
  • keithnoir, on 07/24/2008, -3/+8The Dark Knight the most digg subject since Ron Paul?
    • viper001, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3don't forget huffington post obama stories
    • fokov, on 07/24/2008, -0/+1um.......you have missed the entire socialist obama brigade? wow
  • Jhiaxuz, on 07/24/2008, -0/+12Well *****, with all this ***** craze and pre-hype, why not upgrade it "Greatest Director Ever" and save us the possibility of one less topic on Digg.

    Just stop. Please.
  • Alcoholicas, on 07/24/2008, -0/+3While the 'Newest Greatest Director Alive' part of the article is mostly tongue-in-cheek, Nolan is a fantastic director and has proven himself time and time again.
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