The Dead Wives of Christopher Nolan Movies Ranked
Christopher Nolan could have a nagging problem. As a lot of you know, Nolan is among this generation’s greatest filmmakers because of films such as for example The Dark Knight, Inception, Memento, and The Prestige, amongst others. The person makes dark blockbuster-sized films that challenge your brain, body, and soul.
And yet, as Sherlock Holmes would (sort of) proclaim, something afoot is. Within all of Nolan’s films lies one continuous motif: the dead wife. As surly as Matthew McConaughey removes his shirt or Tom Hanks requires a leak in practically all their films, Nolan loves to murder the wives of his protagonists for just one reason or another.
This isn’t a criticism. As mentioned, Nolan remains atop the set of extraordinary filmmakers, but someone may choose to check up on his wife Emma Thomas every once in awhile because the man appears to harbor some type of dark vendetta against wives that, if left unchecked, can lead to something truly sinister…
Read! Though, please be warned: SPOILERS! (including for Tenet)
Memento
Memento’s entire storyline is due to the death of the protagonist’s wife. In this full case, Leonard (Guy Pearce) helplessly watches his lady die before him throughout a violent altercation that leaves him with short-term memory loss. Leonard spends the complete film looking for Marlin’s son Nemo his wife’s killer and audiences make an effort to wrap their heads around a plot told backwards – it begins by the end and works its in the past to the start. Except, plot twist: Leonard’s wife didn’t actually die from the incident but rather perished after an insulin overdose administered by Leonard himself – a meeting we witness twice with two different women! Cue the dramatic music. And someone check to ensure Emma Thomas isn’t diabetic.
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Inception
Mallorie Cobb (Cottilard, again) haunts her husband Dom’s dreams and serves because the a very important factor he must quite literally (and figuratively) overcome to get home to see his kids. Why? Mal killed herself, you see, because she thought she was trapped in a dream state and made a decision to take her life by leaping off the edge of a building. Needless to say, she plants evidence that frames Dom on her behalf death in the hopes he will choose to skip prison and jump with her instead as delusional spouses are inclined to do… Except, Dom doesn’t jump. Instead, he dumps the small children along with his in-laws, high tails it to Europe, and continues on a dream vacation with a dream job at a dream locale with a dream team. As a particular bonus, he murders his ex-luvah each day in a number of scenarios usually brought upon by their own subconscious – and he doesn’t have even to cover child support!
The Prestige
In Nolan’s masterfully crafted magician v magician slugfest, Robert (Hugh Jackman) helplessly watches his lady (played by Piper Perabo) die from drowning because Michael Caine sucks at breaking glass. Angered by her death, ole Logan sets from a quest to murder Michael Caine out magic Alfred (Christian Bale), the person he blames on her behalf death. Here are some is the near-Satanic dive into obsession as both magicians make an effort to destroy another in a movie that may only be referred to as “probably the most exciting talky movie since The Conversation”; or perhaps a wild fever dream involving Wolverine, David Bowie, Batman, and Batman’s two butlers.
Oh, also to hammer the wife-dying motif home just, Nolan murders Alfred’s lady also, Sarah (Rebecca Hall) once she discovers the trick behind his act. A little extreme? Perhaps, especially because the film wants us to be happy that Alfred (or Borden?) eventually ends up with the young kid by the end.
The Dark Knight
A complete large amount of people die in The Dark Knight, but it’s Rachel Dawes’ death-by-explosion-while-tied-to-chair-and-talking-to-Harvey-over-a-radio that leaves the best impression mainly because of its ferocity and abruptness. You might say, “Well, Rachel isn’t married to either Bruce or Harvey, which means this shouldn’t count.” Well, before she kablooey goes, Rachel does promise to marry Harvey…so, it counts.
Batman Begins
You can’t really blame that one on Nolan as Batman’s mythos revolves around his parents’ grisly murder – an instant we’ve now seen exactly 322 times in comic books, cartoons, and film adaptations. Although, it had been a little odd that Mrs always. Wayne (Sara Stewart) received as much lines as Viggo Mortensen in Witness, and disappears from memory faster than Superman’s biological mom in Man of Steel – a film that, coincidentally, was made by Nolan also. Though, both of Supe’s dads died for the reason that one, too, so we are able to chalk that up as a wash maybe.
The Dark Knight Rises
Miranda Tate, aka Talia al Ghul (Marion Cotillard), bites the big one at the ultimate end of the film, but otherwise, everyone’s mothers stay alive. Although, you can count Ra’s al Ghul’s “great love” as another mother who succumbs to Nolan’s hidden obsession. The girl, seen only briefly, gives birth to Talia al Ghul within the Pit of Dispair and finally dies via prison riot. Her death, naturally, serves among the main catalysts to the events of Rises, and also Batman Begins. Are you currently starting to visit a pattern?
Interstellar
In true Nolan fashion, we learn that Cooper’s wife died of a brain cyst…and that’s really it. Therefore, John Lithgow’s insane father-in-law spends an excellent chunk of his time hanging with Mr. Co and cooper. in a job almost as pointless as Topher Grace’s. His time on screen amounts to nothing in regards to their own daughter and begs the question: why would any sane individual let their father-in-law reside in their home throughout a corn apocalypse?
Of course, if Coop’s wife hadn’t died, he might have grown to be a reckless pilot never, nor would he have flown to space. Clearly, abandoning a crusty old in-law and several kids is a lot easier than abandoning the love you will ever have – a spot made abundantly clear by the film’s end. So, in a way, her death served because the main catalyst…well, the gist is got by you.
[We couldn’t look for a video of Coop discussing his dead wife, so love this particular docking scene parody instead.]
Tenet
[AGAIN, SPOILERS!!!] Ok, so a wife doesn’t technically die in Tenet, but there exists a moment where Kat (Elizabeth Debicki) is shot by her abusive husband Sator (Kenneth Branagh) having an inverted bullet which begins to poison her with radiation. Except, the Protagonist (John David Washington) and Neil (Robert Pattinson) take her through enough time travel turnstile thing-a-ma-jig in order that she and the bullet move backwards with time, preventing her death thus. So, there is a solid chance she would have died or even for enough time travel interference, this means Nolan could be getting soft in his later years. There’s expect Emma in the end perhaps!
Them’s the known facts, folks. Now, it’s your decision to deduce what everything means! Does Nolan have a significant problem we have to discuss? Sound off in the comments below!
