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)
What really touches me is the scene where they are all locked in the hold and the ship gets hit and starts sinking fast. Imagine being in there with no light, the water rising fast, and hundreds of swarming bodies and other debris floating around.
You're panicking, you don't know up from down, left or right. You only have the air in your lungs and there is no surface anymore. This is it.
What would be running through your mind in your last precious seconds of life?
Great observation, my bro. And really well explained. That scene was chilling. Except that we never get to see the "real life" versions of these things except in dramatised movie form. Imagine the pure panic and fear these guys must have gone through. I love war movies in general and this one is no exception. :)
I have to say I don't really understand the guys on the beached boat. They just sat there as the tide came in, which takes hours. And the only sniper was some dude they assumed was using the boat as target practice. What in the hell would possess someone to sit in a boat as the tide came in? Think about that one.
What I enjoyed about the movie was the potentially realistic (I am lucky not to have experienced war to-date although I'm a trained infantryman) portrayal of being in the middle of a war - the lack of information, the shared and often times quiet agony of not knowing what will happen next, taking chances to stay alive and escape almost certain death from an overpowering enemy with a strategic advantage, the struggle between competing and cooperating with fellow survivors, the unseen enemy that shatters the languor with ferocious bursts of gunfire.
PS: I checked out your blog. You are a huge movie fan!
Very well thought-out comment, bud. Yes, it's the horror of the unknown that is the crux of fear in war. Your life may end literally any second so the guts and determination needed to pull yourself out of such an ordeal deserves huge merit. Slotting ourselves into their shoes for just one moment helps for a clearer picture overall.
Thanks... :)
its a masterful story telling and great visualisation makes it one of the best war films i have watched recently and Nolan does a great job, he is good at what he does, this is a great movie and was left in awe after the credits rolled
Totally with you there, bud. Nolan at his best yet again. :)
I loved this movie! We have a $3 theater here and saw it there. Although it was a little hard to understand for my husband because he can't hear well, so I had to repeat most of the stuff to him lol. But I thought it was good and so did he. I need to rewatch it on DVD with subtitles. I give it a 8/10!
That's great to know you guys enjoyed this phenomenal movie too. High marks all round. :)
I agree. The movie is 10+. The best movies are usually inspired by true events. One of the best I’ve ever seen.
I hear ya, @milano1113. Especially knowing that events like this really happened in Dunkirk.
I have watched this movie after many great reviews and I was a bit disappointed to be honest. It seemed we were building up to some kind of climax which never came. Yes great cinematography as you call it, but the climax was clearly lacking for me. It all just all seemed to flow like a documentary. If i compare vs Fury for example, i liked that a lot better. Also i don't think the movie does justice to the people defending the line (the French mostly) so the others (the English) could escape. I do like the way you reviewed this movie though so thumbs up to you!
Thanks for dropping by. Given the movie run-time, it can't focus on every aspect of the Dunkirk stand-off so it told the story from a few unique perspectives that gave an overall view of how things went down. This movie garnered eight Oscar noms and won two (including "Best Picture"). I can see why that may be the case.
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I liked that he borrowed something from Terence Malick lyrical layout of the scenes. The hauntingly beautiful soundtrack superposed onto the slow rendering of images really made this a profound immersion for the viewer.
Good review.
It was a beautiful and intense film. I’d give it an 8/10 personally.
Although am not a big fan of watching movies this days but I have heard a lot about the movie, just couldn't settle to catch the movie. Personally, I have a niche for finding out if a movie will be average or a split screen either from the name or the cover. And my instict is seldom wrong. I will try to see this movie on of this days. Thanks
Give it a go and see what you think. :)
Wow, this is so nice
I'm tempted to give a 10/10
I'm impressed, so 9/10...kindly follow me back
great, great contribution friend
Excellent writing skills, Nice sharing.
Resteemed.
Thank you, @majidawan. :)
Good post, request you to follow me, and upvote please.
Thank you.
It's a good movie
Excellent story friend I imagine the adrenaline of 400 thousand English soldiers waiting to be rescued and save those times where there were always war greetings thanks for sharing a good post
I didn't know if this was something I wanted to see. But this post makes me want to check it out! Thanks you for your contribution!
yeah like war movies in general you sort of live the life and emotions of the times if portrayed right.
That movie was totally epic. I enjoy war movies. They are so intense. Also kind of scary but good to remember history.
And the choices one has to make for survival. Like the scene in the carrier ship, the french service man staying close to the rails, just so in case anything happens, he was actually expecting some terrible fate to befall them and was on the look out. He would later save the others when the ship was hit.
Most touching and at the same time annoying is the scene where they almost frame him for a german for survival sake, it must have been tough.
To think this , happened. They were like sitting ducks, just waiting be picked out. They bent for cover with their backs exposed, like an exposed back could take a billet or a bombing. But it was their only shield.
Great review . I almost agree with your rating of 9 but i would give it a 10/10 though. The acting was top notch, the emotions were well played out.
Brilliant Review!
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I think they captured perfectly what happened in Dunkirk, i went to see the movie because of Tom Hardy, one of my favorites actors at the moment, i love his acting in peaky blinders and taboo, i was a little disappointed because the role that he was playing was not the best for his acting.
Watching Dunkirk is not like watching a movie but more like watching a documentary
Yeah, Tom Hardy is one fantastic actor. Like his work very much too. He wasn't given too much to do acting wise in this movie, but he played a pivotal role in the story and didn't a tremendous job with the role he had to work with.
Have yet to watch this. I ought to soon.
Personally, I thought Interstellar was only okay. It seemed overly complicated but when really, it's not.
I actually know what you mean, mate. Interstellar, whilst well received, didn't hit the mark with the same impact as the other mainstream movies from Nolan.
I really highly recommend Big Bad Wolves, a dark comedy, Israeli movie.
The thing is, there is a big twist right at the end of the movie.
BUT, the twist is actually revealed halfway. It is extremely easy to miss it. That's why it's so smart.
I only got that after watching it and reading the Wikipedia summary. I was like holy shit! I was totally blown away.
This movie is as realistic as it can be. Also, it is technically perfect.
On the downside (And, i think, because of this) it really did not connect with me on a deep level. Not as other films from the same director. I felt its characters kind of... distant to me, somehow.
But it is definitly a marvelous film. The worst of this director still is better than like, 90% of the rest. :)
Lol, I love the last line of your comment, bro! I'm with you, man! :)
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Oooh, thanks for the reminder, I meant to see this movie then it went out of my head. I couldn't read your review for fear of spoilers, but I could skim down to the bottom for your rating haha!
Lol, don't worry, @dreemit! I never include spoilers in my movie posts unless I mention it beforehand. Hope you like it when you get around to checking it out. :)
Dig the write up here. Nolan is top notch.
Inception is on that all time list for me!
Many thanks, man. And I'm totally with you as far as Inception is concerned. :)
It was awful. Tom Hardy flew a glider for 20 minutes.
Good post
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