Alex Haw, Dick Bradsell, Jennifer Angel

Following is a wickedly clever story of how a young man's obsession with following people leads him into a dark underworld. Bill, the unlikely hero, is a marginalized but intriguing Everyman who follo...( read more  read more... )ws strangers at random on the street. When Cobb, a man Bill has been following, catches him in the act, Bill is drawn into Cobb's world of breaking into flats and prying into the personal lives of their victims. In Cobb, Bill finds a strange companion, part mentor, part confessor and part evil twin. With an ingenious structure that involves flashforwards and doubling back, the film tests our knowledge and understanding just as the protagonist is being duped into an elaborate triple-cross. This first feature heralds in Christopher Nolan a promising new talent to the indie film scene.

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85% liked it

10,145 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

20 critics

R, 1 hr. 10 min.

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Release Date: April 3, 1999

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DVD Release Date: December 11, 2001

Stats: 879 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (879)


  • October 11, 2009
    great script and a surprising first effort but i didn't like it all dat much. Good movie jus dont think i'd watch it again
  • August 22, 2008
    an absolutely brilliant film from chris nolan. better than some of his recent work, possibly even than anything he has done short of his batman movies. the performance of haw was excellent and the story was captivating and brilliantly told. i have been annoyed lately at all of...( read more) the movies with chopped up timelines, but nolan uses this better than anyone. the twisted ending is mournful yet satisfying and the elements were pulled off without holes. absolutely great flick.
  • August 9, 2008
    A damn good film for being so incredibly low budget. The performances were mediocre but the script was fantastic. A must see for fans of Nolan
  • May 22, 2008
    Following was the debut feature film of now-famous director Christopher Nolan (currently helming the Batman films). It's a short, tight little film-noir about a man who, bored with day-to-day life, begins following people who interest him around, eventually taking up with a burgl...( read more)ar and naturally finding himself in trouble. It is a very interesting (and necessary) film to watch if you are a Nolan fan, because it is very much a precursor to his near-masterpiece Memento, which was the next film he made after Following. In this film one can see Nolan developing his unique style which comes completely to fruition in Memento; a style characterized by a non-linear format and clever/unique shot choices. But besides being an interesting study-piece, Following is a good film in its own regard; I found it to be compelling throughout and marked by some really clever scripting. I dug the use of the black & white, also. As a very cool film on its own, and an interesting look at the early work of one of today's most brilliant film auteurs, Following is definitely a film to check out.
  • March 25, 2008
    A young man is obsessed with following people all over the city. His obsession leads him into a dark and dangerous underground when he is caught by a man named Cobb whom he had been following. Striking a deal with Cobb, the young man begins to burglarize flats with him. The young...( read more) man sees everything in Cobb. He sees him as a tutor, a companion, and a doppelganger of himself. Now the young man is suddenly surrounded by deceit and has now where to turn. Can he unravel the mystery that surrounds him and dig himself out before it is too late?
    Following is quite the masterpiece by acclaimed director Christopher Nolan. Much like Memento, Following is a bit twisted in the chronological order the movie takes. The suspense of the story quickly drags you in and has the viewer enthralled what they are viewing. Like all other Nolan movies, the script is strong and powerful with many twists and turns. The direction is fabulous and the use of Black and White over color makes the movie in whole a more powerful message. The acting is solid and believable. The only flaw the movie my have is the quick cuts to the next scene, those are a tad annoying but not overly noticeable. The movie is only seventy one minutes, but a powerful seventy one minutes the movie is. The Following receives four and half pursuits out of five for being an implausible psychological thriller that will leave a lasting impression.
  • November 21, 2009
    It's a true Nolan film. It's short, but right to the point.
  • November 10, 2009
    Well Mr. Nolan once again proves why he's one of today's most sought after talents with this film, his debut. It's a well written mystery. Constant flashbacks that can sort of confuse the viewer if you don't pay attention to every frame. Much like 'Memento'. But overall, this...( read more) film was good. Worth seeing if you're curious about Nolan's work.
  • October 8, 2009
    Christopher Nolan is a skillfull as well as very pretentious director. The cast makes this film work. Lucy Russell is mesmerizing. Jeremy Theobald is excellent and puts a lot of depth in the role. Interesting characters, well written. The black and white cinematography is very ef...( read more)fective.
  • October 4, 2009
    a smart feature debut from christopher nolan
  • September 22, 2009
    Per la serie: giovani registi crescono! Un 29ene Christopher Nolan (che solo un anno dopo confermerą la sua alta scuola con "Memento", fino ad arrivare al pił recente "Batman: The Dark Knight" ) firma questo breve racconto, e ci infila il suo marchio di fabbrica: puoi sforzarti q...( read more)uanto ti pare, puoi spremerti al massimo le meningi, ma fin quando non arriverai all'ultimo minuto (persino i titoli di coda hanno un loro "perchč") non riuscirai ad avere un quadro completo della situazione..
    Consigliato a tutti, in modo particolare a chi apprezza il genere!

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  • shiftyeyeddog
    July 13, 2008
    I find it kind of funny that on the door of one of the apartments they go into, there's a Batman logo sticker. Maybe back in 1998 he was already planning to direct Batman someday!

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