War is Hell

Rating: 10/10 (22 July 2017)

(RATING: ☆☆☆☆☆ out of 5 )
GRADE: A-
THIS FILM IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
IN BRIEF: A visually accomplished film that focuses on its "war is hell" theme with memorable details.
SYNOPSIS: The Battle of Dunkirk, as seen by its fighting soldiers on land, on sea, and in the air.
JIM'S REVIEW: Dunkirk shows the horrors of war as soldiers are stranded on the beaches of a French coastal town and waiting for the smallest sign of rescue. Yes, it will come, but slowly, as lives are lost and saved. The Germans are in control here, having the advantage to easily aim and fire at the helpless British troops (along with their French, Belgian and Canadian allies). Courage is in abundance as both civilian and military forces come to their aid. Such is war. Such is Christopher Nolan's exceptional film.
Mr. Nolan's vision interweaves three distinct viewpoints of the Allied evacuation, from land, sea, and air, all occurring in diverging time frames. His skill as a director establishes this battlefront in three chapters and he masterfully juggles his action scenes with his mini-cast of characters in each segment, all of which leads to a stirring denouncement.
The film is divided into three chapters. "The Mole: One week" focuses on one young recruit, Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) and his band of brothers, including One Direction's former member, Harry Styles), as they scurry to avoid bullets and falling explosives. The second part, "The Sea: One Day", tells its story of a brave captain (Mark Rylance) and his crew (Tom Glynn-Carrey, Barry Keoghan) who are in rescue mode to save the soldiers, although a recent survivor (Cillian Murphy) of this slaughter protests their mission. Two pilots (Tom Hardy, Jack Lowman) lead a dogfight against the German planes from above in the third portion, "The Air: One Hour". The structure of Dunkirk takes these three individual story lines and meshes them together so seamlessly that the moviegoer follows these one-act dramas with full attention as they converge into a satisfying whole.
Mr. Nolan's skills as a director are impressive as he captures this historic piece of World War II lore. For me, the film was very reminiscent of the fine 1962 war saga, The Longest Day, which showed World War II in a fragmented style of battle scenes from various points of view with a matter-of-fact authenticity. (That classic film dealt with the D-Day landings in Normandy.) Dunkirk's powerful visual swept is also comparable to Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, one of the greatest war films ever made. This film is superior filmmaking in every sense of the word. (Be forewarned; there is violence due to its subject matter, but it's not as graphic as most war films in recent memory.)
Technically, Dunkirk is a remarkable achievement. The images are photographed with stunning details by Hoyte van Hoytema and the taut editing by Lee Smith ratchets up the suspense. Hans Zimmer's bombastic score and the astonishing sound design complement each other to heighten the tension as well. Mr. Nolan's screenplay is more action than words, but he is one of the foremost visual storyteller in today's cinema. His images are memorable (a horrifying crash landing on water, a sandy beach littered with discarded helmets, war leaflets showering down on some infantrymen walking nonchalantly down a strangely quiet street, the hand of a drowning soldier suddenly becoming motionless in the dark murky waters). Come award season, this film will garner many accolades.
One minor flaw: Due to Mr. Nolan's clinical approach on his subject, the personal human drama is missing from his screenplay. He is more intent of showing the casualties of war. One wishes more screen time was spent on fleshing out the characters and adding some back stories to the major roles. As it is now, they all become stock characters representative of the bigger picture whose sole purpose is to deliver the film's main theme: war is hell but the human spirit will triumphantly survive. The acting, including Kenneth Branagh, Mr. Lowden, and Mr. Rylance, is fine but it never rises to an emotional level due to the narrative structure of the film. The actors are continually upstaged by the physical sweep of the event.
Dunkirk recreates one epic battle in the hands of one epic director at the top of his game. It is one of the year's best films and will deservedly become a film classic for many generations to come.
NOTE: See this film in IMAX format.