Dunkirk (2017) Review

Director: Christopher Nolan

Run Time: 106 minutes

Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Damien Bonnard, Aneurin Barnard, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance, Tom Glynn-Carney, Tom Hardy, Jack Lowden, Kenneth Branagh, James D’arcy, Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, et al…

Plot (taken from IMDb): Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.

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Credit: IMDb

After years of swirling Batman epics and bold science-fiction blockbusters, Christopher Nolan returns with something equally as fascinating, but more affecting than anything he has directed previously. Dunkirk tells the story of the famous battle of Dunkirk during The Second World War. During this battle, allied forces found themselves surrounded by the Germans, with 400,000 troops left stuck on a beach, waiting for salvation in the form of a rescue mission.

In order to save everyone from being shot down like fish in a barrel, the British government issued a rallying call for families across the coast to travel to Dunkirk in whatever boat they had. Navigating the war-torn oceans was a dangerous mission for all involved, but ordinary civilians risked their lives in order to save those stranded at Dunkirk. It’s a touching tale of everyday bravery and British determination in the face of evil and Nolan’s masterpiece that tells the tale from three perspectives is likely to leave a lasting, emotional impression.

Credit: IMDb

Dunkirk opens with an exhilarating charge through the streets of the town of the film’s namesake. We follow a small group of British soldiers running scared through the streets as German gunners take them down one by one. The focus is on Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), a young man who we later learn just wants to get home. There are few words spoken, but this scene is expertly crafted to show us the tension of the war – traits that are ever-present in Dunkirk. Indeed, the script for Dunkirk is one that favours actions, rather than words. All of these actions are geared towards ramping the tension up across three timelines that seamlessly merge together. It wouldn’t be a Nolan film without a little bit of timeline messing, now would it?

We follow the exploits of soldier Tommy, RAF pilot Farrier (Tom Hardy) and budding saviours Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance), Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) and George (Barry Keoghan). Each of the three tales intertwine magnificently, despite being set at different stages of the conflict. Whilst all three feature a different cast in a different situation, there are similarities between them that ensure the film’s plotting and themes remain smooth. Throughout, for example, we are given superb close-ups that add to the tension of the film, allowing us to see the pain, hope and tiredness etched into everyone’s face. The close ups award Dunkirk a claustrophobic feel, which only adds to the tension.

Credit: IMDb

Tension is a key driving force behind the power and impact of Dunkirk and it’s something that Nolan handles better than I have seen in countless other tension driven pieces. The minimalist dialogue helps in this regard, along with the often claustrophobic cinematography I mentioned above. Not much is said in Dunkirk, but little needed to be said. The entire cast delivers a masterclass in pure emotional acting. Nolan’s decision to employ a mixture of relative unknowns alongside acting powerhouses such as Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hardy paid dividends. You believe everything on-screen, yes, even when Harry Styles gets involved.

Your suspension of disbelief is held even more so thanks to a limited use of CGI. In a time full of seething CGI monstrosities dominating our screens, it was nice to see a summer blockbuster using very little. The relative lack of CGI gives Dunkirk a palpable sense of scale and emotion not present in so many of today’s blockbusters. You will feel the shake of the ground as bombs strike the beach. You are very much as part of Dunkirk as those in the film. It’s consistently breathtaking. This is an effect helped even more by the minimalist soundtrack that focuses strongly on the clicking of a clock more than an overblown orchestral score that one might expect from a Nolan flick.

Credit: IMDb

Refreshing, too, was that Dunkirk doesn’t focus on the violence of war to the same extent as Saving Private Ryan. This is a film that shows the dangers of war on a more human, emotional level than Spielberg’s classic WWII piece. Nolan showcases the effects war can have on different people in different situations, rather than the violence or gore. We see the hardships the soldiers at Dunkirk faced, such as sinking ships from the inside and out, people being gunned down and even someone just wanting to have a poo. With Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan has created a more approachable, affecting WWII film than anyone has ever seen before. This is a film that shows the danger and tragedy of random, brutal and tragic loss of war without resorting to body parts flying around.

At Dunkirk’s core, though, despite the booming power of its shells and raw emotion is a powerful tale of hope. We see the desperation of the operation at Dunkirk from a variety of viewpoints, but beneath the surface is always a calm idea of hope. You, along with everyone in the film, will be hoping and praying that they can be saved from the dangerous shores of Dunkirk – something that relies on the safe passage of hundreds of tug boats and personal sailing vessels from across the UK. You’ll leave Dunkirk with a renewed passion for the cinema and maybe even some renewed hope for humanity. Nolan’s WWII epic is about as powerful as film-making can get and demands to be seen.

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5/5

Dunkirk is a powerful, emotionally affecting human drama about World War II that showcases cinema at its very best.