There are very few filmmakers that clearly show their admiration to following the old-school route of filmmaking in the modern age. One of the brilliant folks that follows that route is Christopher Nolan. The English-filmmaker has tackled stories with superheroes, detectives, magicians, scientists and is now doing so with soldiers. It has been a dream for over the last decade to see Nolan create a film in the backdrop of any war and with Dunkirk finally hitting the big screen, after being one of his passion projects, it was incredible sitting down to see him direct a film that feels very realistic and different to his imaginative, mind-bending pictures. I have admired his craft and admiration for film and after making ten feature films in the span of a nineteen year-long career, Dunkirk might just be the best of Nolan’s catalog.
Dunkirk centers on the nine-day long title evacuations in northern France and is told in an unexpected way that is not seen in any war film. It tells the story from the perspectives of the soldiers on ground, the fighters in the air and the everyday people on the sea, where each story consists of different time spans and it could lead audiences to be misled by the way Nolan structures the storytelling. With no central character, the focus of Dunkirk lies in the fear and terror that is exposed when being placed in any event that occurs in a war. Coming from someone who is divided by non-linear filmmaking, this is one of the best films I have seen that utilizes that effect in the best way possible.
Nolan is no stranger to shooting on film and this is his best-looking picture to date. While the use of visual effects is lower than most of his films, especially Interstellar, Dunkirk’s practical effects are outstanding and continues the trend of merging well with the minimal CGI placed in said film that Nolan is directing. Shot on 65mm film and IMAX film cameras, Hoyte van Hoytema’s bleak cinematography is as breathtaking as anything in Nolan’s filmography. It would never be a Christopher Nolan film without a score from Hans Zimmer, giving us his most suspenseful score to date and playing a pivotal part to Dunkirk's filmmaking. Everything in the technical department will receive Oscar nominations, which could lead to it sweeping the technical awards similar to Gravity from 2013.
There was no standout of the film when it came to the acting, but everyone shined in their respective roles. It was absolutely surprising seeing One Direction member Harry Styles in a war film, let alone a Christopher Nolan-directed film. All the younger actors here are to be on the lookout for and hopefully they have opportunities to speak a lot of dialogue, unlike here in Dunkirk, which was the intention of Nolan as he wanted to focus on telling the story through the visuals and music. I had a slight issue with the idea of the film not containing any character-driven storylines, but it was very refreshing at the same time to see a war film told in a different fashion to what audiences are use to seeing nowadays.
When the storylines come together in the final act, it all felt coherent and exciting, especially since it was all unpredictable considering the Dunkirk evacuations actually occurred in real life. The fear in everyone was high-octane, which managed to spread over to me grasping myself to my seat, and with the war sequences being beyond brutal, it took me by surprise since the MPAA decided to give Dunkirk a PG-13 rating. For a film that holds that rating, it had more intensity than some of the R-rated features in recent memory, even though there were some moments that Nolan clearly had to hide in order to keep that PG-13 rating. It was very impressive with how terrifying Dunkirk ended up being considering the rating it had received.
All in all, Christopher Nolan has done it yet again by giving us another masterpiece in his catalog to showcase why he is one of the best filmmakers working today. With the continuous unbroken streak of directing a bad film, Dunkirk is one of, if not, the best of Nolan's filmography. This also happens to be the best war film of the decade, tied with Hacksaw Ridge and a high contender for many accolades at the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony. With a beautifully-constructed storyline and genuine terror placed within the characters, this is a strong example of why there is still hope for film and what goes into making them. Well done, Christopher Nolan! Bravo.
