Christopher Nolan’s debut rode in with the tide of neo-noir thrillers by stylish young directors with an eye on MTV editing and an ear for ’40s dialog. What is striking about this particular project is how Nolan makes clear to make his ideas big, even though here he’s managed to shore them in to a sheer 1hr10m. Also weird to see a character named Cobb (Inception) and a Batman symbol on the door to the protagonist’s apartment, which makes you wonder what other minutia from the film will show up in other features.

–DB