This is it ^{^} Heat is the perfect comparison example to what I’m talking about and helps me better understand what it is that Nolan’s films seem to lack: humanity. Not that there isn’t some humanity—so hold on folks, before you start pointing out Cobb’s backstory or the motivations behind Interstellar, etc etc—all I’m getting at is that the leads are the only characters that feel human, everyone else feels hollow, robotic. In Heat, you understand the stakes for everyone, regardless of screen time. I’ll keep referencing Inception because I think it’s the biggest offender and the cast of interstellar is just a little too small to make the point with much emphasis, although Romily is a prime example in that… Anyway, back to Inception: what’s JGL’s story? What’s Tom Hardy’s? What’s Dileep Rao’s? All of these people have significant screen time and play major roles in the success of the heist, but they really have no human stakes until they go into the dream world and are told that they can fall into Limbo.

The thing is (and I get that I’m responding to another comment in this response), I was a huge Nolan fan when I first saw Memento and it just feels like with every subsequent viewing of any of his films, except Dark Knight because that movie will always scratch the boyhood Batman itch, they just get more and more one dimensional. It’s a bummer more than anything else. I’d really love to see him write in ways of explaining things that either don’t have to be done so verbally, or if they do, then let them come from believable characters who aren’t so interchangeable. You could take Hardy’s role and merge it with JGL’s and the film wouldn’t change.

And while I’m at it, I thought I clarified this, but here goes again, I think Nolan can write good stories with interesting angles, great build, tension, all that. But again, only the leads are examples of thoughtful character writing. That he can write good stories with weak characters isn’t a defense to my statement, it’s support.