Perhap's Nolan's best Work Yet, Most Intense Theater Experience you will ever have

Rating: 9/10 (6 March 2019)

Cristopher Nolan has once again established his reputation as a filmmaker who time and time again delivers a great blend of serious themes and storytelling next to great and gripping entertainment value. This in no small part thanks to Hans Zimmer and Nolan's standard co-workers Nathan Crowley and Lee Smith, who put together with him a nail-biting and brutally intense war-film about pure survival and fear, with seemingly no escape in sight.
Acting:
Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Banard and Harry Styles, together with several young actors represent the survivors who do everything they can to escape from the beach of Dunkirk. Their acting is by no means exceptional, but they manage to deliver enough intensity and fear on their faces to feel just as scared as they are at that moment.
Tom Hardy as Farrier acts with just his eyes, but like his role as Bane, he doesn't need anything else really. He sells every hard decision and following determination solely with his eyebrows and looks, and it requires a very skilled actor to do that so easily.
Mark Rylance and his two younger co-stars represent the rescuers overseas, and give realistic and grounded portrayals of civilians who simply refused to turn their backs on their soldiers when they needed help the most.
Cillian Murphy as "the shivering soldier" is a high note, as his shell-shocked and frightened portrayal of a lone survivor provides an intimate yet tense arc with his rescuers.
Kenneth Branagh and Brian d'Arcy as two officers from the British Army need to carry most of the exposition and dramatic weight, and do their job well as the two veteran actors that they are. Particulary Branagh portrays the frustration and stubbornness well.
Direction:
This is by far Nolans' best directed movie, solely determined to capture as much of the tension and fear as possible during the entire movie. He sticks close to the actors the whole time, without losing focus on the pivotal battle sequences.
Cinematography:
Hoyte van Hoytema replaces Wally Pfister as Nolan's usual cinematographer once again, and makes great use of the IMAX camera to capture as much of the wide beaches as possible. The grim blue-yellow aesthetic looks stunning, and land, sea and sky are all from outstanding quality in terms of photography.
Plot:
Nolan's preference for unique story structure is shown here, with three separate sections of the Dunkirk Rescue, all at a different point in time, sometimes intersecting. Each section is gripping in it's own way, and although the characters don't have much dept, their simple motivations and struggles are enough to gain our sympathy.
Music:
Hans Zimmer and Christopher Nolan has been a great combination from the beginning, and this may be their best collaberation yet. Zimmer has delivered a score that is so gripping and adrenaline-filled that the tension never falters right from the start of the movie. At times, the music reflects sheer panic because of incoming lethal danger, and you feel just as frightened as the poor souls trapped at sea or land. The score uses an ever-climbing melody to achieve this rising intensity.
Sound:
Seeing this movie in IMAX is not just worth it for the photography, but for the intense auditory experience as well. The sound of incoming German Stuka's is absolutely terrifying, and the gun shots that penetrate the air and shelters are deafening. Never has war been so accurately portrayed through sound as here.
Production Design and Costumes:
Nolan is known for his strive for realism and accuracy, and Nathan Crowley has always delivered on this goal. Dunkirk was shot on the actual beach, using some of the actual vessels and planes, and the rest was so meticulously crafted to look like the original that you would never notice.
Editing:
Lee Smith has masterfully adapted Nolan's vision for this complex story structure, alternating between the three timelines with skillfull editing and demanding the audience to pay attention.
Tone:
The tension is high from the first minute immediately, and never really drops during the entire runtime. You never feel safe, just like these soldiers, and the euforic feeling is understandibly high when the men are brought to safety. It is extremely difficult to keep the tension bar that high for so long, but Nolan pulled it off.
Overal Concensus:
The most impressive war-film since Saving Private Ryan, thanks to Nolan's creative team and his determined approach and vision. There is not much attachment to the characters, but that is not truly the point. Feeling fear and the desire to survive is. 8.7/10