There are quite a lot of Christopher Nolan films which possess a certain level of doubting reality, trying to distinguish between truth and lie, and thinking about concepts of life and morality. Memento is one of those films, and also a very popular and acclaimed one, with a 94% audience score and a Certified Fresh consensus on Rotten Tomatoes.
Before he became revered as the director of The Dark Knight and Inception, Nolan wrote and directed this thrilling masterpiece shot half in black-and-white and half in color, with the black-and-white half going back in time. Without further ado, let us see these films that one will love if they also loved Memento.
10 Predestination (2014)
The Spierig brothers’ Predestination is a very difficult film to describe. It demonstrates such a nature and composition - full of secrets and twists - that anyone who writes about it could easily give the reader a spoiler of the best aspects of the film. The plot deals with the life of a travel agent in time. In his final mission, he must chase a criminal who has managed to escape too many times in the past and in the present. It can provide a very enjoyable watching experience, but it will require your undivided attention - trust us, it’s worth your while.
9 The Interview (1998)
The twisted depiction of police procedures and legal implications in this film by Craig Monahan is full of entertaining plot twists and can appeal to everyone, not only fans of crime films. Hugo Weaving is very convincing playing the leading part of a lonely man who is being arrested and interrogated for a car theft, which escalates to much more over the course of the film.
The cat and mouse game that follows makes the movie very interesting and unpredictable. This film has time and again been called The Usual Suspects of Australia and with an IMDb score of 7.1, there is no reason why you shouldn’t try it.
8 Dark City (1998)
Mentioned many times as a brilliant but underrated film, Dark City is one of the very few movies directed by Alex Proyas (I, Robot, The Crow). The film tells the story of John Murdoch, who wakes up in a bathtub with no idea of how he got there and has to face a strange cult known as “The Strangers”. The dark setting and shadows make for a feeling of uncertainty about what the protagonist can find in his next step, which is throughout the film giving a satisfying feeling of coherence and captivating the viewer's interest with the addition of subtle elements which all make sense as the plot advances.
7 Donnie Darko (2001)
Directed by Richard Kelly, this sci-fi psychological thriller tells the story of Donnie Darko, a brilliant young man, with a vivid imagination and impressive maturity for his age, who has a serious problem: Frank, a creature who, though born of his imagination, advises and guides him as if he were a real person, dragging him in a world of darkness.
The concepts and theories of space and time, the search for God, and the significance of consequences co-exist with social oppression, the patterns and the nightmares of adolescence, all combined in a clever script.
6 The Manchurian Candidate (2004)
A Gulf War veteran believes he and his platoon were brainwashed to become pawns and serve unknown forces and he is trying to warn a former comrade who is seeking the US Vice-Presidency.
This neo-noir political thriller by Jonathan Demme, featuring a cast of acclaimed and popular actors (Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, and Liv Schreiber), has an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and provides with a very thought-provoking alternative universe, which -even though the screenplay is fictional- makes us think of real political situations and the forces which influence sociopolitical reality in our own world.
5 Mystic River (2003)
If you like this sort of movie, you have probably already watched Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River. The film is based on the novel by Dennis Lehane and follows the journey of three childhood friends who meet up again after 25 years, tangled in the same murder investigation, but on entirely different sides. Sean Penn and Tim Robbins did an excellent job portraying their characters and the movie has a mean rating of 7.9 on IMDb. Apart from being a very well-made drama film, Mystic River also deals with the philosophical questions attached to taking justice in one’s own hands.
4 Mulholland Drive (2001)
In one of the most celebrated films of the 2000s, a car accident on Mullholand Drive leaves a young woman with no memories at all in LA. With the help of a young actress, the woman tries to regain her memory, but things are never exactly as they seem. The film gave David Lynch the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director.
The movie displays intense eroticism and an evocative atmosphere that is largely due to Bandallamenti's music. Despite the difficulties in making out the story, the film manages to keep it interesting and make the audience try to solve a jigsaw puzzle in a dream world which has its own rules.
3 The Number 23 (2007)
If the Truman Show wasn’t enough to convince you of Jim Carrey’s acting skills, this movie is bound to do it. As far as the plot is concerned, the prevalence of the number 23 in a religious context co-exists with a dark past the leading character has left behind. A simple curiosity leads to a fascination with the number’s properties, which spirals into an obsession and becomes the reason for a series of revelations. While most critics didn’t appreciate the film, it seems to have aged well and a consensus of 6.4 on IMDb might be convincing enough to give it a chance.
2 Oldboy (2003)
This adaptation of a Japanese comic with the same title by South Korean Park Chan-wook, tells the story of a man who has been imprisoned without knowing the reason for 15 years. The man is suddenly released and tries to enact his vengeance, but his quest for revenge isn’t what anyone would expect.
The movie features a lot of violence, but the way it fits in with the other elements makes for a very impressive work of art. Oldboy won the Grand Prix at Cannes, with high praise from the then President of the jury, Quentin Tarantino. The parallel with Oedipus Rex and Greek tragedy motives is inevitable and makes this film a must-see.
1 The Machinist (2004)
In this Brad Anderson film, a factory worker, Trevor Reznik, who has been sleepless for about a year, causes a terrible accident in his workplace. Trevor further isolates himself from everyone else and gets lost in his own delusions. The movie is slow, but the tension is always there until the end.
The concepts of guilt, remorse, human life, and self-punishment appear in the film, assisted by a very skilled direction. Christian Bale’s excellent portrayal along with the admirable method acting he displayed, weighing in at 54 kgs at the time of the shooting (although this was definitely unhealthy), is another element which enhances the finished results and brings this film to the top of our list.
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