Director Christopher Nolan
Genre Action | Drama | History
Cast Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh
Rating PG-13
Release Date July 21st, 2017
“Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, Canada and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.”
Written and directed by mastermind Christopher Nolan, the man responsible for hit films like Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, and the list goes on and on. Bottom line, what this guy touches more often than not turns to gold. Dunkirk is a historical drama based on a fierce battle during World War II when Belgium, The British Empire, and France found themselves surrounded and under fire by the German army after they made the decision to retreat. The cast includes Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Barnard, Harry Styles, Tom Glynn-Carney, and Barry Keoghan.
Dunkirk is edge-of-your seat mayhem with a bone chilling score, and quite possibly the best historical war film I have ever seen. This is an absolute masterpiece, and it is hard to fathom the fact that this is Director Christopher Nolan’s first historical drama. German-born composer Hans Zimmer, who also worked with Nolan on The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception, and Interstellar, is an absolute genius and contributed greatly to the moments of intensity. I honestly can’t recall the last time a movie made me so nervous and anxious, and Dunkirk had me feeling that way pretty much the entire time. All kidding aside, I feel like this film took a few years off my life. Nolan is such an artist that he made me feel like I was attempting to flee the beaches at Dunkirk. What I thought was maybe the most impressive aspect of this film is how authentic it felt. It is widely known that Nolan is not a fan of using CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) with his films, and attempts to avoid it at all costs, and the authenticity absolutely pays off. Not once did I feel like I was watching anything that looked even remotely fake- if anything I had to remind myself that what I was watching wasn’t actual footage of the event that took place during WWII. Nolan went as far as using actual naval destroyers for the sea battles in the film, and even opted for cardboard cutouts of soldiers during the wide shot scenes instead of CGI to show the thousands of soldiers on the beach (don't worry, you can't tell). You will find yourself scanning the faces of the soldiers with a feeling of inspired curiosity- you really can see the pain and feeling of utter defeat in their facial expressions. I was able to see Dunkirk in the IMAX and I cannot stress this enough, if possible, see it in the IMAX!! The majority of the movie was specifically filmed for IMAX theaters, and every bomb dropped, gunshot fired, plane crash, and even the surreal wide shot peaceful scenes, need the big screen visuals and thunderous sound to be fully appreciated. After thinking long and hard about what I had just experienced, my only gripe with Dunkirk is the fact that it doesn’t end with a scene showing the U.S. military gearing up to go clean up this mess (kidding, sort of).
Dunkirk is a unique film in terms of the cast, mainly because it really doesn’t involve all that much dialogue. Christopher Nolan was actually quoted as saying he studied various silent films to use as inspiration for the many wide shot beach scenes. Nonetheless, the cast is fantastic from top to bottom. Tom Hardy plays his role to perfection as per usual. Cillian Murphy delivers a very strong and emotional role, putting everything he had into his character. I really enjoyed Mark Rylance’s character, and felt that he added a lot to the film in a supporting role. Inexperienced actors Fionn Whitehead and Aneurin Barnard are given quite a bit of screen time, and even though the amount of actual lines they have is limited, they both do a phenomenal job. Kenneth Branagh is superb in his role as a high ranking officer. And lastly, young actors Tom Glynn-Carney and Barry Keoghan deliver masterful performances, with their characters contributing to one of the more emotional scenes in the film. Musical artist Harry Styles, formerly of the band One Direction, makes his feature-film debut in Dunkirk. Even though his individual contribution is overshadowed by the sheer visual beauty like many other great performances in this film, he actually has a very solid debut. Now if he can somehow find himself on Nolan's speed dial, he may have a decent acting career to look forward to. I'm honestly not sure if anyone will get nominated come Oscar season because of the type of film this is, but at the very least some supporting role nominations would be well-deserved.
I consider myself to be a big fan of war inspired dramas, either based on historical events or not. Some of my favorites include The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, Lone Survivor, Black Hawk Down (fun fact, this was actor Tom Hardy's very first film), Hacksaw Ridge, and Tropic Thunder, to name a few (just kidding about Tropic Thunder, obviously). I recently read Generation Kill, the book based on the recon Marines and their part in the Iraq Invasion, and I am now re-watching the HBO miniseries that is based on the book (it is amazing, by the way). I'm on a bit of a war kick lately. I think I am starting to get off topic, but the point I am trying to make is I fancy myself a good war flick- I enjoy the brutality, the intensity, and when they are fact based, the historical significance of it all. Not only did Dunkirk provide me an amazing experience and one of the best I have had in terms of a war film, it also afforded me insight into the events that took place at Dunkirk, that I had no idea about previously. I am excited to read up on it further to try and gain a little knowledge, and that is all thanks to Christopher Nolan. I can comfortably say that Nolan is without question the front runner for best director come award season, and it simply isn’t even close. Do yourself a favor and see this one sooner than later.
