Christopher Nolan is not afraid to swing for the fences. With movies like The black Knight, Creationand Dunkirk under his belt, Nolan has made a name for himself as one of the most talented filmmakers of his generation. That said, the scripts for Nolan’s films often struggle to match the strength of his visual craftsmanship.

The same assured control he brings as a director has sometimes felt like a hold in his writing, and his desire to over-explain the convoluted plots of his films has often taken away the power of his visual storytelling. movies like Interstellar and The dark knight risesfor example, both cave under the weight of Nolan’s exposition-heavy storylines and clumsy attempts at emotional impact.

It is for these reasons that Nolan’s latest film, Principle, holds such an interesting place in his filmography. The movie, which is leave HBO Max this week, is in many ways the reverse of Nolan’s 2010 sci-fi epic, Creation. This thriller is a tightly wound sci-fi action flick that’s so focused on making its plot make sense that it often loses sight of everything else. In Principlehowever, Nolan doesn’t seem at all interested in explaining himself.

Principle follows a CIA agent (played by John David Washington) who is asked to become a member of the film’s titular organization after choosing to ingest a suicide pill rather than divulge classified secrets to his agency’s enemies. The film then follows the unnamed protagonist Washington as he sets out to defeat a corrupt Russian oligarch (played by Kenneth Branagh). His mission requires him to dive headfirst into an underworld where bullets, artifacts, and people are able to rewind time.

A little like Creation, Principle attempts to blend two distinct genres: spy thriller and intoxicating sci-fi adventure. However, while Creation goes out of their way to explain his world of infiltration and dream theft, Principle doesn’t. The film is more confusing and absurd than Creation and yet, at the same time, much smoother and immediately enjoyable. Instead of packing it with the same amount of momentum-killing exposure dumps as it did in CreationNolan allows Principle progress at a surprisingly breakneck pace.

Therefore, Principle feels like Nolan at his most confident and carefree. The film is weird and mind-bending, much like Nolan’s previous sci-fi efforts, but its disregard for its own plot allows for the weirdness of Principlethe world to become all the more intriguing. At no time in Principle Does Nolan try to justify the existence of his sci-fi technology or explain his most compelling concepts, and the resulting experience is undeniably confusing, but also oddly observable.

Principle also feels, at times, like a delightfully cheesy spy movie. The film features various sci-fi concepts, stories, and elements of advanced technology, and it just expects audiences to accept that they exist in much the same way as the James Bond movies of t once expected viewers to believe that certain villains had access to death rays or secret shark-filled pools under their living room floors. Contrary to Creation, Principle nor does it try to force vague personal stakes into its story.

Like so many great spy movies, the film tells you that its villain is intent on ending the world. Its stakes are clear, even if its plot details are not. As is the case with many Principlethe straightforward nature of its central conflict is a direct result of the film’s infectious, carefree attitude, which may not be apparent on a first viewing but becomes impossible to miss afterwards.

By giving so little importance to the logical construction of the plot, Principle is forced to rely solely on the strength of Nolan’s direction in order to keep its viewers’ attention. Fortunately, Nolan has always been an extremely gifted visual artist, and as Dunkirk before that, Principle ends up becoming a showcase of its director’s action filmmaking skills.

It becomes clear from the moment Principle begin. The film’s opening operatic attack ranks firmly among the best prologues Nolan has ever constructed. It’s an exciting and heart-pounding sequence, which makes up for its lack of contextual clarity with endlessly gorgeous compositions, flawless camera work, and lean, tight editing. The footage would be exciting to watch even if you turned off the sound and, as was the case in Dunkirk and Interstellar – Hoyte van Hoytema’s vibrant and rich cinematography only further elevates Nolan’s impressive visual style throughout Principle.

In other words, while Principle may not offer the same kind of clever plot subversions as Creation, it’s still an exciting and underrated entry in Nolan’s filmography. It’s a pure action movie that’s also indebted to artists like Walter Hill (The driver) and Jean-Pierre Melville (the Samurai) as is the case for Michael Bay.

For this reason, Principle is Christopher Nolan’s most superficial yet entertaining sci-fi thriller to date. It’s definitely the weirdest movie he’s ever made, and more than anything else, it proves that even someone as obsessive as Nolan is capable of loosening his grip on the reins from time to time.

Principle is available to stream on HBO Max until Sunday July 31, 2022.