The "Batman" film series, launched by Tim Burton in 1989, burned itself out after four pictures because of an overreliance on production design, increasingly campy costumes and mind-numbing action and noise. "Memento" and "Insomnia" were mesmerizing thrillers in which meticulous writing laid the groundwork for complex characterizations, arresting themes and haunting imagery. Nolan now displays an ability to hitch that same intelligence and care to a summer tentpole movie.

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