A harrowing film of Hitchcockian suspense and epic proportions

Rating: 9/10 (20 July 2017)

Christopher's Nolan latest film see him taking aspects we've seen him employ in his other films combined to make what might be his most mature feature to date. It combines the sheer scope we've seen in films like "Inception" and "Interstellar" with the structurally fascinating elements that make up those like "Memento" and "The Prestige". "Dunkirk" excites the senses with its ever-intensifying energy and is relentless in its barbaric portrayal of young men at war. It will, quite literally, shake you to the core.
The story of "Dunkirk" depicts the dramatic and real-life story of the Dunkirk evacuations occurring between May 26-June 4 in the spring of 1940. During this time, frequent rescue attempts of nearly 400,000 allied soldiers from Belgium, France and the British Empire were continually foiled due to being totally surrounded and cornered by the German Army at the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, France.
The film is split into three different parts: Those that are told 1. On land 2. In air and 3. At sea, though each part of the narrative is unified by a common theme: these fighters, who are all merely young men, are here to live another day, not to get to know each other. It's unique as a war drama in the sense that its purpose isn't character exposition but collective emotions, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. There is little dialogue between characters and so the question isn't: "Who are these men?" but rather "Will they get out alive?"
Much like Memento, Nolan's themes of confusion, uncertainty and a persistent feeling of paranoia are in full throttle. The young soldiers appear in full survival mode and the directive choice by Nolan to not to delve too deep into any of their backstories (which he will likely receive backlash for) is fully understood. Let me quickly explain why.
Nolan has created an atmospheric narrative, where the anguish is felt collectively in a mass effect sort of way, I think. To establish character development with any specific soldier would be superfluous and so the viewer, like the soldiers amidst battle, feels a complete lack of personalization. Or rather, the dehumanizing effects of war are made that much more vivid.
Nolan's big-scale epic filmmaking (that would make David Lean proud) is a real joy with this film and has never been so evident. His avoidance of CGI and special effects make the war scenes seem as grounded as possible, presented in such a horrifyingly vivid and unapologetically realistic manner. To witness these scenes in a theater is to completely immerse yourself into the action.
Couple this with yet another epic score from Hans Zimmer and you're left with an experience that hammers home the horrors of the war in such a visceral way that it has to be considered up there (already) with some of the all-time great war films like "Saving Private Ryan", "Platoon" and "Apocalypse Now". In typical Nolan-fashion, we have been given yet another unique and engrossing interpretation on a genre and we couldn't be more thankful.