Dunkirk

Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Damien Bonnard, Aneurin Barnard, Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, James D'Arcy, Kenneth Branagh, and Tom Hardy
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Screenplay by: Christopher Nolan

     Every few years, when there's a new film directed by Christopher Nolan, I get really excited.  Usually that particular film is my most highly anticipated of the year.  That was the case with every one of his films since Inception, and Dunkirk is no exception.  So does Dunkirk live up to the hype?  It most certainly does.
     Based on the true story of the evacuation of allied forces from the beaches of France in the early part of the Second World War (before the United States entered), Dunkirk is a tour de force film about bravery and courage like no other.  The film has three distinct parts to it that in real life happened at different times; the mole, the sea, and the air.  
     The mole is a long narrow pier used to get the troops onto boats to head back across the English channel to the safety of England.  The navy ships are unable to get to the troops on the beaches at Dunkirk because the water is too shallow, leaving upwards of 400,000 men stranded in France awaiting enemy forces as well as forcing smaller boats to take troops across.  Enemy aircraft are constantly bombing the beach and occasionally the ships taking these troops home.  It's up to Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh) to ensure the safety of these men and make sure they get home.  
     The sea shows us that civilian boats were called in to help out with the evacuation.  One man, Dawson (Mark Rylance) takes his sons with him on their private boat to pick up as many soldiers as they can.  This is only one example of the civilian boats that went out to Dunkirk for these soldiers.  They pick up an unnamed soldier (Cillian Murphy) clearly shellshocked after a wreckage leaves him stranded in the sea.  He begs Dawson to turn the boat around and go back to England and believes that going to Dunkirk will only get them killed.  Dawson simply responds "there's no hiding from this son...we have a job to do."  Dawson and his sons clearly understand the risk they are taking, but are aware that the only way these soldiers will get home is if they do their part to help.  
     And lastly, the air focuses on Tom Hardy's character; a pilot named Farrier constantly chasing and shooting down enemy aircraft before they drop bombs on the stranded troops.  There are some truly breathtaking scenes here, almost putting the audience in the pilot's seat.  He is not the only one however.  There are other British and French pilots assisting to shoot down enemy aircraft.  There is a great sense of urgency on Farrier's part because his fuel runs dangerously low part way through the film.  He must ultimately decide whether to keep up or turn back to refuel.  
     These three storylines all take place not only at different times, but take place over the course of different amounts of time.  The mole scenes happen over the course of a few days, the sea scenes take place over the course of a single day, and the air scenes take place over only an hour or so.  Nolan is a master of storyline manipulation (see Memento), and joins these stories together seamlessly.  That is one of the truly remarkable traits about Dunkirk.  We are not left wondering what the timeline is.  And it is not very confusing.  This is not one of those films in which Nolan is trying to mess with our heads.  This is a film in which there is a bigger picture Nolan is trying to show and does so beautifully.  
     Dunkirk is stunningly minimalistic for a Christopher Nolan film.  It is one of his shortest, if not his shortest, feature film.  I am used to his films being two and a half to nearly three hours long.  Yet Dunkirk is not even two hours long.  But the intensity of the film will make you think that the film is plenty long.  The film plays out much like the third act of any other war film.  There is almost no backstory to these characters and almost no introduction.  Yet what is incredible is we seem to know these characters quite well by the time the film is over.  It is a film filled with emotion and hardship that tries the courage and bravery of its characters.  There is also very little dialogue.  Much of the action speaks for itself.  
     The cinematography is truly incredible.  My favorite shots are the ones where the camera is attached to the airplanes because it feels like the audience is along for the ride.  In IMAX, it almost feels like virtual reality for a few minutes here and there.  One of the other things that is done really well is the capturing of emotions on soldiers' faces.  There are a number of scenes in which enemy planes approach the beach to bomb the soldiers.  If this were any other film, the camera might focus on the approaching plane, but Dunkirk turns the camera around and focuses on the soldiers who are about to be carpet bombed, again creating this sense of urgency in the film.  
     Speaking on the sense of urgency, Hans Zimmer's score perhaps exemplifies it best.  Much of the score involves a ticking sound, much like the ticking of a timer (which does get a little annoying by the end of the film).  It portrays the presence of danger extremely well too.  It serves as a constant reminder that these soldiers must get off the beach as quickly as possible before enemy forces overrun them on the beaches.  
     The sound in the film is also incredible, especially in the IMAX experience.  One might have some difficulty hearing upon exiting the theater, but it is worth it!  The sound gives the viewer the experience of almost being there.  The airplanes going over are almost as loud as a ceremonial flyover at a big football game or baseball game as they are so close to the ground for this film.  
      I must recommend seeing this film in the IMAX 70mm format.  This is the way that Nolan wants audiences to see the film, and it truly shows why.  The grainier footage of the 70mm projection makes Dunkirk feel like a true war film.  The IMAX experience makes it feel like you are actually there.  If there is a film that has the power to take you to a whole new world, it is Dunkirk.  Dunkirk is a film not just to be seen, but to be experienced.  It is a film that shows the courage and bravery of soldiers in wartime better than many other films, and I believe this may be one of the greatest WWII films ever.  Dunkirk is another example of how Christopher Nolan has cemented himself as a legend in the history of cinema.

I give Dunkirk an A+.

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