Dunkirk || Movie

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Sharing the inspiring true story of the Allies rescue from Dunkirk Beach during the Second World War, this 106-minute drama unfolds without much dialogue or even conventional protagonists. Instead, the extremely lean script illustrates through action and visuals alone how harrowing and dangerous the battlefields in the land, sea, and air really were.

Fitting into one of those three location categories, the ensemble cast features understated and powerful performances from a slew of familiar faces, including F John Whitehead, Harry Styles, James Darcy, Kenneth Branagh, Killian Murphy, Mark Reiland and Tom Hardy. Nolland's unique approach to their lack of development means each character is somewhat generic and interchangeable though.

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The survival scenarios they constantly find themselves in are so terrifying and realistic, we can't help but picture ourselves in their shoes, and since we learn so little about these characters most aren't even given names, this emotional transference is vital to the success of the narrative. Those expecting traditional character arcs or introspective monologues need to look elsewhere.

Indeed, rather than personalizing a giant battle by showing a single soldier's experience, Nolland goes in the opposite direction, employing a giant ensemble with thousands of extras, with no single person receiving the lion's share of screen time. Hancock is an immersive experience that's bolstered by an extremely loud and visceral sound mix, unforgiving with this dynamic range.

When gunfire pierces the silence, it is as startling as it is uncomfortable, or the terrifying sound of the Jericho trumpet sirens from German fighter planes as they die for another attack run.

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Meanwhile, Han Zimmer dulls out an aggressively intense score that builds and builds to seemingly never-ending crescendos, constantly keeping the tension on edge, often drowning on all other sounds. The music is an overbearing accompaniment to the stressful action unfolding on screen, and
one of the more memorable soundtracks in Zimmer's catalogue, even if it is a bit distracting
at times.

Dunkirk is best experienced on the largest screen possible, which makes
full use of the super-sized celluloid.

The entirety of the air plot looks particularly astonishing, with cameras affixed to the inside and to the sides of spitfire fighter planes, as they swoop through the clouds above. Easily the greatest aerial battles ever captured on film, these dogfighting scenes are worth the price of admission alone, and are even more impressive when you learn they were created without any computer effects.

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Dunkirk explores several key scenes from different perspectives, by inventively intercutting the narrative threads in a non-parallel way. As the technique arrives without any introduction or warning, it can be a bit confusing when you begin to see the same scene over from a different angle, but it does allow for additional insight.

As I was hoping for a bit more historical insight and character development, I can't say this film is my favorite entry in Nolan's growing portfolio, but that doesn't preclude it from being one of the best war movies ever made. Dunkirk is a monumental achievement in blockbuster filmmaking and a truly amazing film.