Spoilers

I found it finally. After years of searching for this in DVD shops & on streaming i had given up hope. & then on wednesday i was scrolling through now tv for films that took about 90mins & second to last on the list there it was… FOLLOWING! The Nolan film that got away. So i got comfortable & settled in to watch it.

For those who want to see this now might be the place to stop & come back once you have seen it as i am going to spoil it.


Has everyone gone that didnt want to read? this last chance…


Good


The second that guy in the cafe revealed his name to be Cobb I was like ahhhhhh hes a thief straight off the back. Nolan knows what hes doing.

This is so very early Nolan but being the avid watcher of his movies that i am i spotted so many tropes.
The dual narrative.
Using Black & white to make it grittier & that its more important at points.
Changing charcters so they fill a void he has.
Links that you didnt know were there that actually were but your missing the bleeding obvious lookign you stright in the face.
It just works.

I get he had a budget & wanted to make his name but someone clearly saw this & went damn were giving this guy money & i appreicate their trust in him, because that then means he made momento.

I love that so many people dont have a name, its just the bald guy or the blonde or whatever. Because you see it through the leads point of view, if hes been told its the bald guys safe hes got to burgle then thats who its going to be.

I love when they break into that first flat, its so clever & how its a twist that its actually the girl having an affair & not him. Thats very clever. Especially as the film goes further on & you work out where the underwear probably came from.

The woman isnt some of Nolans best writing if im honest. Shes there as a distraction from the real story. You think you might be watching someone sort their life out but shes part of the problem.

The second he was given that credit card i knew he wasnt going to have a happy ending, its also the first time you really realise its out of order. I had been told years ago when i first started hunting for this, that its not a straight story, but it was was a bit random that in one scene the guy has long hair then its short & then its suddenly long again. Its the exact moment you know as a Nolan viewer he is being used for alternative moments.

Is it really that easy to steal what you have burgled? Seriously?

Now i love people watching, but actual following is a little bit weird. I get it you want to learn about people but it is weird. Theres nothing wrong with people watching when you sit at the pavilion but if i got up & followed them through the lanes & across the level, that would be a bit much.

Of course he was a bloody writer & i love that you spend most of the film thinking his narration for this is him telling his story for the book, not for the police who are investigating.

I love that they take one earing, that really would piss me off too. Id be livid like nope. thats drawn the line. Also my undies draw is a bit of a mess so rifle all you want.

When its all revealed how linked it all is & how implicated the man is, it really does still take your breath away that this was always his plan to get someone else framed for the double murder. I sat there jaw dropping falling for a Nolan twist & conclusion all over again. God the man even then was a clever bastard.

& then how he just disappears as a face in the crowd, brilliant.

Its not Nolans best work, due to inexperience & also lack of budget & not too many good actors in it, but you can tell the potential is there & im so glad someone saw this back in the day & went yea we will put our faith in this man. It means we have epic cinema today.

It also doesnt feel like a short. Its 70mins long but damn it works & you cant take you eyes off it.

So go search it out people if you want all the Nolans because its worth it, to see where it all began & how far our man has come.
In Nolan We Trust.