Christopher Nolan is built different

I would love to hang out with some of the A-list directors and listen to what they think about stories and techniques and such. But right now, I'd love to hear what they think about Christopher Nolan. Has this guy ever tried to direct an easy movie? Look at his filmography.

2026: The Odyssey 2023: Oppenheimer 2020: Tenet 2017: Dunkirk 2014: Interstellar 2012: The Dark Knight Rises 2010: Inception 2008: The Dark Knight 2006: The Prestige 2005: Batman Begins 2002: Insomnia 2000: Memento

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For the past quarter-century, Nolan consistently makes about one movie every three years, and nearly every one of them is a hyper-complex, non-linear story. What most great directors would consider too complex and risky to make is for Nolan just the next project on his list. Maybe there are other directors that attempt the same challenging projects, but I've never heard of them because they obviously didn't pull it off as consistently as Nolan does.

Bravery

I want to start by commending Matt Damon for accepting the role as Odysseus. I'm going to state it plainly: Odysseus is the most famous mortal fictional character. I'll grant you that there's an argument for Robin Hood and Hamlet. And I wouldn't laugh at you if you argued for Romeo, who is the only one of the three competitors whose name can be used as a noun. But the tale of Odysseus and his journey was written about 2,800 years ago, and at the time of the writing, the story was already 500ish years old. Playing a character as iconic as Odysseus opens the actor up to immense criticism, not just from the normal film critics, but also from critics of literature.

I think Matt Damon is a fine actor. And he's nailed it in many of his roles. But none of them were nearly as hard as this one. If I had to pick a list of the best twenty male actors, I'm not sure I'd drop Matt in there. At least not before seeing him as Odysseus.

Did Matt Damon actually pull it off? Yeah, I think he did. I'm not going to say no one could have done it better, but Matt did an admirable job.

The others

Odysseus is the main character, but this story is hardly all about him. Anne Hathaway was fantastic as Penelope, and let me tell you, she had to work for it. Odysseus gets all of the attention, but Penelope wasn't exactly having it easy for those twenty-odd years. I'll bet good money that within the next three years we'll see a wide-release movie that explores The Odyssey from Penelope's perspective. I've read that The Return comes close to something like this.

I'm starting to think that Tom Holland is more than just Spider-Man. He was pretty good in his role and I think that as an actor he's going to grow beyond playing the web-slinger--someday.

Robert Pattinson is the other actor that deserves special mention. First, let's give Pattinson credit for accepting the role of Antinous, who is basically the villain of the movie. He doesn't get a great deal of screen time, but he makes the most of every scene and comes off perfectly as a cowardly and despicable suitor.

Himesh Patel was a good second in command to Odysseus, but he doesn't get a chance to perform with much range. He's just sort of, there.

John Leguizamo had his best role since John Wick. This guy doesn't get the credit he deserves for being such a fine actor.

Lastly, Elliot Page had about 90 seconds of screen time and nailed it.

Interpretation

Something I think is subtle, but makes this story more believable is that we never see anything magical/mythical happen that isn't part of Odysseus's memory. Was there really a Cyclops, or a Circe, or Laestrygonians/giants? Maybe, maybe not. Every one of those scenes came from Odysseus retelling what he remembered happened. The same for Athena, which can actually be interpreted multiple ways. Perhaps she was only in Odysseus's imagination. That would be the most obvious interpretation to make based on what Odysseus saw at Troy. But there's also the possibility that Athena came to Odysseus in the form of the Trojan girl. Who's to say?

Grade: A

Plot Odysseus, the legendary King of Ithaca, embarks on a long and perilous journey home following the Trojan War. Throughout his voyage, he is forced to confront the whims of gods, mythological monsters, and trials that stretch both his cunning and his humanity to the breaking point.