Christopher Nolan: Top 5 movie scenes

Picking these was not an easy task

With all the buzz around blockbuster 'Tenet' at the moment - the latest from Christopher Nolan - we're looking back on the director's best scenes.

Nominated for five Oscars, Christopher Nolan has yet to secure the golden gong. But his influence on cinema is undeniable and he's widely considered one of the best filmmakers of our time.

Nolan has helmed 11 feature films in all. Altogether, they have grossed over $4.7 billion in cinemas worldwide.

2000's 'Memento' was the film that launched his career. But the astounding 'The Dark Knight' trilogy made him a household name.

For some their favourite is 'Inception'; while for others it would be 'Interstellar' or 'The Prestige'.

2008's 'The Dark Knight' has probably inspired his biggest fan following. But then even his latest effort, war epic 'Dunkirk', is spectacular.

Looking across his film credits, we've chosen the five best scenes of his career.

Obviously be warned that if you haven't seen these movies, there are spoilers to follow.

It was no easy task, narrowing these down. Let us know what you think is the best Christopher Nolan scene in the comments and scroll down to see our complete top ten Christopher Nolan scenes video.

5. 'Interstellar' - Years of messages

'Interstellar' demonstrates Christopher Nolan's ability to not just deliver big screen fodder, but surprising emotional depth too. Moreover, if you were ever in denial that Matthew McConaughey should have an Oscar, his performance as Cooper will set you straight. The heartbreaking scene in question sees the NASA pilot mourn losing out on being there for his children as they grow up, for he has become lost in space and time.

4. 'Dunkirk' - The drowning scene

Over its 106 minute running length (which takes place almost, ostensibly, in real time), the tension of 'Dunkirk' is relentless. You learn almost nothing of where these soldiers come from and who they are, yet you become desperate for them to survive the vicious ambush around them. In this standout scene, the group of young soldiers we have been following are celebrating a moment of calm when suddenly, the destroyer they boarded is torpedoed. They find themselves fighting for their lives again, this time from drowning.

3. 'The Prestige' - The reveal

Move aside M. Night Shyamalan, you're not the only director who can deliver a gripping final twist. In the case of 'The Prestige', the finale comes as a double reveal, just as doubles is the recurring theme throughout the feature. As well as it emerging that Christian Bale's Borden is a twin, we learn that Hugh Jackman's Angier has been making clones of himself that he has drowned, in order to perform his act. Thus Angier is, it turns out, the true villain of the piece. He also reveals that his desperation came from a love of the affections of his audience ("It was the look on their faces").

2. 'Inception' - The hotel hallway fight

In a film jam-packed with action, the fight in the hotel hallway in 'Inception' stands out as its most memorable and iconic scene. Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) goes head to head with the subconscious agents of Robert Fischer's (Cillian Murphy) mind, all while the hallway in which they battle spins uncontrollably. A 30m long corridor that could rotate a full 360 degrees was specially designed to create the desired effect. The sequence was inspired by a technique used in Stanley Kubrick's '2001: A Space Odyssey'.

1. 'The Dark Knight' - Joker speaks with the mob

How can you pick one scene from 'The Dark Knight' - the whole movie is frickin awesome! In the end we went with a quieter sequence that highlights Heath Ledger's phenomenal performance as the Joker (for which he earned an Oscar posthumously). The sequence is frequently quoted ("And I thought my jokes were bad"), makes excellent use of a single prop ("Ta-dah! It's, it's gone"), and shows how in a room full of deadly mobsters, no one stands a chance against the Clown Prince of Crime. James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is essential to the ambiance too.