Dunkirk is the truest war film in years, but is it really Nolan's best?

Rating: 7/10 (21 July 2017)

I have just seen Dunkirk and I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is not your usual big-budget war flick filled with gore and lame back stories. It hits the one aspect of war most fail to show us - genuine terror. Throughout the film we do not see a single Nazi soldier, nor do we hear a single German word; what we see, hear and feel are the bombs, the bullets and the horrifying sound of the Messerschmidts, just a few seconds after catching our breath.
The characters discuss nothing but the events of the moment, they say nothing of their family, their jobs back home or their plans when they get back. Nothing matters but surviving the next German onslaught. The constant time jumps and regular Nazi attacks keep us disorientated from beginning to end and we have very little time to think.
As a war film, it is the best in a long time, and it is the most honest in Western cinema. I left feeling as though I had just witnessed the actual events with my own eyes, rather than a film based on true events. This is owed to Nolan's desire to remain true to the facts, which is the underlying theme through all of his movies.
However, I must disagree with many reviewers who say this is Nolan's best film yet; it is purely down to my own tastes but I already feel as though I would not still be thinking about it in a few weeks, unlike Interstellar or Inception. Dunkirk's biggest flaw as a movie is, ironically, its biggest strength as a war film - it lacks humanity. The truth is, I cared about the characters only because they felt like real soldiers losing their lives, not because I felt any emotional attachment to them. I've given it a 7 because, while it is the best war film in years (not a difficult feat), it is not one of the best films, nor is it Nolan's best.
And for those of you who are wondering, I did not even notice Harry Styles. And the lack of American soldiers coming to save the day will prevent it winning any big Oscars. BAFTA's yes, but not Oscars.