*Directed by Christopher Nolan
*Starring Harry Styles, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Fionn Whitehead, Kenneth Branagh, Jack Lowden, Tom Glynn-Carney, Aneurin Barnard, and James D'Arcy
The Plot: Set in the World War II era, after British and French armies are driven by Germany to the border of Dunkirk, France, German forces are in the air attempting to destroy these surrounded men. The film follows simultaneous events from the point of a view of a few young British soldiers trying to find a way to escape Dunkirk, an older British citizen, his son, and the son's friend trying to sail close to the border in an attempt to save soldiers, and the ongoing battle in the air of British fighter pilots attacking German fighters in an effort to defend their forces who are on the ground and in the water. Through all this, the end goal is to evacuate these soldiers before these attacks get increasingly worse.
If you haven't been following my blog as of recent you'll know that Christopher Nolan is one of my all time favorite directors and that he's only #2 behind Steven Spielberg. He's pretty darn close and almost every film he's made have been some of my favorite movies of all time. There truly hasn't been a director out there quite like Nolan just because of how he crafts these films and tells these stories. The films that he's made have been some of the most thought-provoking works of art I've ever seen in my entire life and those elements remind me why I love this medium so much.
Of course, I was ecstatic to see Dunkirk and that was also #2 on my list for my most anticipated films of the year behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi. How could I not be excited about a brand new Christopher Nolan film? I'm glad I was this excited because along with most of Nolan's filmography Dunkirk is another outstanding creation ever put to film (and it literally was made on film).
What I loved so much about this movie and his other films is that no matter what you're immersed in the experience. Not only does the visual presentation look nothing short of marvelous, but the direction that was involved really made me feel greatly invested in this overall plot. I really felt like I was in the action every step of the way. It was a true experience with real people dealing with such harsh repercussions and trying to find a means to avoid such danger.
If Nolan's effective directing wasn't there to make me feel for the people in these events and not be invested in said events then this movie would've failed. I'm glad that wasn't the case and I can sing to the high heavens that this movie was everything I could have ever wanted out of a cinematic experience. The suspense was strong and when the action hits it really put me in perspective of these characters. I cared so much about what was at stake and what the fate of these characters would be.
Now, I've heard criticisms beforehand that the characters were the weak link of this entire movie due to the fact that they didn't flesh them out. We couldn't care about said characters because we didn't know anything about them and there wasn't much to go on since the writing behind them was thin. I can see where people are coming from and there definitely is validity to these statements, but personally, I don't think the intent of this film was to have you learn all that. I think the statements I do agree with defending those criticisms is the fact that the movie wanted you to focus on the historical event itself. It was about how we'd see the event play out and what the turnout would be as we see the characters surrounding that aspect.
I agree with those statements regarding the focus of the event, but I feel if you delve deeper and really see the actions of these characters and the different motives they have it can honestly tell you what you need to know about said characters period. I don't need to do a play by play of each actor because you know everyone's amazing, but the great performances incorporated to go off of the way they're used in the script can definitely aid how we gain a perspective of who these characters are visually. This time Nolan took the liberty to show and not tell. The intent was to have these people placed in the middle of the action and we'd see how they took initiative and how they'd react, so in that way we could gain an understanding of where they're coming from, what they went through, what their goal is or just who they are as a person.
One of my biggest issues with Nolan's last film Interstellar, which I still think is a really good film, was that it felt like I was being told key things and not being shown key things. Like I wasn't able to be challenged in that movie so that I could really take in the story and have more of an attachment to the characters. This time around it was a straightforward story, but the way everything was orchestrated in the direction, the way it was written, and how the performances were utilized called for one of the most emotional experiences I may have ever had in my years of watching movies in theaters. I got misty eyed a few times, there wasn't a lot of sobbing, but the film just touched me so much and, again, if it weren't for such fabulous direction on Nolan's part, I wouldn't have cared.
Of course, like I said earlier, the film's visual presentation is perfect with stupendous cinematography by Hoyte Van Hoytema who also did brilliant work for Interstellar. The editing was seamless, the use of sound design was superb, and Han Zimmer's score was just brilliant! All these elements combined called for of one of the greatest films I've probably ever seen in a very long time. I could see this going down as one of my favorite films and I definitely will check this film out again and buy the Blu-Ray Day 1.
I can't even put into words how satisfied I am by the end product of this movie. Maybe an issue I have was that there were a few scenes that were a teeny bit exposition-y, but the exposition was necessary and they couldn't have done it differently. Even if it is a flaw I'm still going to give this movie the grade I intend on giving it because Dunkirk was epic, tragic and one of the most thought provoking cinematic experiences I've ever had. If anyone can make a film this highly effective it would most certainly be in Christopher Nolan's magnificent direction for this movie.
Verdict: A+
This will definitely be in top 5 of the year unless other films come in and top it, but what an unforgettable experience! I cannot wait to watch this film on endless repeat and, as I'm writing this, it was #1 for this weekend's box office numbers. That's awesome especially for an opening weekend playing against other big summer movies like Planet of the Apes and Spider-Man. Please make Dunkirk your FIRST priority when going to the cinema. For more updates be sure to follow me in the social media links below as well as a Christopher Nolan playlist if you wanted to read my editorial of what I thought of each film in his filmography:
Thank you for taking the time to read this review. I greatly appreciate it! As always see some movies and all that good stuff!
Take care. :-)
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