The New York Times recently unveiled its list of the 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century, compiled from entries by over 500 filmmakers, actors, and film critics. The list includes films from some of the best directors working today, but one filmmaker stands out with an incredible five titles. While five out of 100 is only 5% of the list, it seems is the defining director of the 21st Century.
Selecting 100 movies out of the thousands that have been produced over the last quarter of a century is a tough task, but for one director to have five of those selections is something special. Nolan's movies on the list include 2014's Interstellar (#84), 2023's Oppenheimer (#65), 2000's Memento (#65), 2010's Inception (#55), and 2008's The Dark Knight (#28). Nolan beat beloved filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, David Lynch, and Bong Joon Ho, whose film Parasite took the number one spot.
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With five films on The New York Times' list, it is hard to argue with the fact that Christopher Nolan is the most influential director of the 21st century. The closest director to Nolan on the list is Paul Thomas Anderson, who has four films on the list: Punch Drunk Love, The Master, Phantom Thread, and There Will Be Blood. Both Phantom Thread and There Will Be Blood ranked above Nolan's top film, The Dark Knight, with Phantom Thread at number 25 and There Will Be Blood at number 3.
Yet it is hard to argue with Nolan's ability to manage populist entertainment while also making deeply artistic films. Christopher Nolan has been the rare director who can craft big blockbuster entertainment that audiences enjoy, while also receiving critical acclaim. Thanks to the success of his Dark Knight trilogy, he has been able to attract audiences to his original movies and has turned unconventional films like Inception and Oppenheimer into summer blockbusters that also get nominated for Best Picture, and in the case of Oppenheimer, take home the top prize. Christopher Nolan's name is the selling point for audiences now, just as Steven Spielberg was in the 20th century.
Following his long-awaited Best Director Oscar for Oppenheimer, Nolan is following it up with an adaptation of The Odyssey. The movie has easily become one of the most anticipated films of 2026. It is seen as such a potential blockbuster that Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios pushed back Spider-Man: Brand New Day one week to give it a little breathing room from Nolan's soon-to-be next epic. With other beloved titles that didn't make the list, like Batman Begins, The Prestige, and Dunkirk, it is hard to argue that Christopher Nolan is the director who has so far defined the 21st century.
