Christopher Nolan at His Absolute Best

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2017)

When Christopher Nolan announced that his next movie was going to be about World War II, people were skeptical; they had their doubts. But people had their doubts when Heath Ledger was cast as The Joker and Nolan proved them wrong.
With Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan has hit the bull's eye. He has proved once again that no matter what his films are about, they are always going to be an amazing experience.
Dunkirk is a film about the Dunkirk Evacuation ( Operation Dynamo ) that took place during the World War II. In 1940, more than 4,00,000 soldiers were evacuated on the beaches of Dunkirk, a small French town. Dunkirk is a story about that miraculous event.
It is an unusual film. What I mean by that is, any moviegoer going into the movie would not expect the kind of film he would see. Most of you may have seen Saving Private Ryan and will be hoping for something similar but Dunkirk will throw you off balance. It is the complete opposite of Saving Private Ryan and that is why it shines so much.
It is an experience and not a story about some individuals. There are no character backstories, so you won't get to know much about the characters. **You are in the battle from the first scene itself and you are going to stay there for the next 107 minutes.** You feel like a ghost watching the brutality of world war with your own eyes (Thank god, most of the war is bloodless).** There is very less dialogue, which you may hate, but it is also a unique thing about this masterpiece.** It is a no bull crap approach towards war. The war is not forgiving; you won't get time to shave your beard or shake hands with your friends or talk about your high school crush when each step you take may decide your fate. It is war and it translates to death if you are not careful. It is about people fighting for their lives and wondering if they will be able to make it through.
The lack of character backstories and dialogue may be a shortcoming of the film but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes.** It results in a film that is thrilling, intense and nerve- wracking from beginning to end; there are no scenes that kill the tension.** Also, It does not politicize or glorify anything. It just shows you the war in its most raw form. It is terrorizing from the first scene till the last. There is almost no CGI; the IMAX cameras were placed on real airplanes and the film was shot, It makes my jaw drop in awe.
***Dunkirk is the most realistic depiction of war I have ever seen on screen.***
The cinematography is gorgeous and you will wonder how the DOP Hoyte van Hoytema was able to film it. The sound editing and mixing is on spot (Hans Zimmer's name is enough). The bullets sound exactly like bullets and the explosions are like real explosions; you won't get the feeling that Michael Bay is trying to blow things up. Last but not the least, what to say about the genius - Christopher Nolan. Most of his recent films have focused more on the crazy ideas and visual wonders but **Dunkirk proves that apart from being a person who has some amazing ideas, Nolan is a great storyteller too.** His storytelling abilities shine in Dunkirk. He himself is the writer and without his writing, it would not have been the film it is. he uses the nonlinear narrative and plays with the concept of time, again in a very effective way.
***With Dunkirk, Nolan has established himself as one of the greatest filmmakers of all time.***
It is the best film he has made since Inception. It is a strong contender for the Academy Award for best picture and Nolan himself may get nominated for Best Director, a recognition that he truly deserves. With Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan has hit the bull's eye. He has proved that no matter what his films are about, they are always going to be an amazing experience. Just go and make sure you watch it on an IMAX screen.