Three years since overseeing the very well received Interstellar, world renowned director Christopher Nolan returned in 2017 with World War II drama Dunkirk. Nolan has yet to make a bad movie. Scratch that. A mediocre movie. Some may say even a "good" movie. The projects helmed by his creative expertise, extraordinary eye for cinematography and solid directorial skills, always seem to turn into visionary masterpieces. I still remember how frozen in speechless awe I was after having just viewed Memento. Ever since, I've considered him one of my idols when it comes to pure unparalleled genius in originality. Can this pristine golden streak of hits remain unblemished with his new historical cinematic creation?
The background narrative presents a true account of events that transpired on one fateful day in 1940. Already deep into the second world war and the English troops have been barricaded into the French city of Dunkirk, just off the coast of the English Channel. With the Germans closing in for the kill, they have no choice but to wait helplessly to be evacuated by rescue ships. In addition, a small fleet of English defence forces attempt to keep the enemy at bay until the soldiers on the ground are ferried safely away. Three main story-lines unfold from different viewpoints. Land, sea and air. On the ground, we follow young British private, Tommy (played by Fionn Whitehead), who is one of over 400,000 men desperately searching for a way to be transported across the sea to the opposite shores. All the while under a barrage of attacks from military forces on all sides. Then we have a small ship headed up by a crew of three. A father and son duo by the names of Mr. Dawson (played by Mark Rylance) and Peter (played by Tom Glynn-Carney) respectively. One of the son's friends, George (played by Barry Keoghan) finalized the sombre trio. They set sail for the shores of Dunkirk on a solo mission to rescue as many of the soldiers from the jaws of death as they can. And lastly, we have a "Spitfire" Royal Air Force aviator, Farrier (played by Tom Hardy) who, accompanied by his two wing men, attempt to hold back the opposing enemy aircraft for as long as possible, allowing more time for their stranded compadres on the beach to escape unscathed.
As with all of Nolan's movies, one viewing in simply not enough. The harrowing scenes of young servicemen frightened beyond reason as to how their untimely demise will play out, is heart-rending. The movie decides not to go in the direction of "up close and personal gore" (running in stark contrast to most other war movies) but instead opted to centralise it's focus onto the main character story arcs. Thus Dunkirk proved to be quite a thought-provoking watch. Although the characters themselves are fictitious, the fact that similar themed events took place on or near Dunkirk beach, is chilling to say the least. You see soldiers fall to the ground in unison, shielding their fragile bodies as an onslaught of "dive bombing" aerial attacks and close combat gunfire, pepper the earth around them. And this really happened. That in itself hits home for a jarring impact for the viewer. But ultimately, the message relayed throughout the movie is both strong and direct. One of hope and unity. The groups which form over the duration of the movie help each other out of the darkest of situations, sometimes even at the peril of their own lives. The emotion is only multiplied tenfold by the terrific performances throughout. I cannot believe I'm saying this, but even our very own One Direction's Harry Styles turns in a great debut into the world of acting. It's a perfected formula that it now to be expected from any movie bearing the name Christopher Nolan amongst the credits.
The visuals are every bit as grandiose as you'd expect. Particularly impressive were the aerial dogfights that never held back from every sharp bank, twist and turn. Bringing the audience straight up there into the thick of the action. The imagery just screams out "epic" from every innovative shot. Some scenes managed to capture the tense situations for our heroes taking place in the air as well as the sea without a single cut. Awe-inspiring brilliance in terms of cinematography. The music is also an integral part of Nolan's movies working the way they do and there are no exceptions here. We are treated to the extravagant exuberance of Hans Zimmer once more. The thunderous soundtrack in the background amplifies the intense set pieces no end. A partnership made in heaven, as it is no wonder these two geniuses of their craft have worked together on so many numerous occasions in the past. Cinematic and musical direction at their finest. In terms of shortcomings for Dunkirk? Well, not much to speak of. The action starts from the first minute of its beginning and doesn't let up until the very end. It's a movie that refuses to give you time to breath and that style of pacing might put some off. Definitely not me, however. This was another masterpiece from the master himself.
I absolutely loved Dunkirk. It certainly appears this director can do no wrong. The deep meaningful messages and raw heart of this film, are things of unrequited on-screen beauty. The fact that Nolan chose to go with a less visceral war movie turned out to be a good decision. You care for the central figures and find yourself invested enough to genuinely root for them all to make it out of there alive. Another notch on the belt for Nolan. One can only wonder with this level of excellence, what he has in store for us all next? I, for one, can hardly wait...
My Verdict: (9/10)
