A mind blowing piece of cinema and a film like none other before it

Rating: 10/10 (20 July 2017)

I can safely say that you've never seen a film quite like Dunkirk before.
You may think you know what your getting yourself into as you grab your ticket, order your popcorn and beveridge combo (and hopefully additional choc-top), but Christopher Nolan's anything but typical war film, that thrusts us headfirst into the Dunkirk evacuation/battle, is an experience unlike any other.
Forgoing the need to follow a traditional narrative or even the need to join the audience to any one character more than another, Nolan's wholly immersive and often breath-taking big screen event, is the work of a cinematic genius at one with his craft with an ability to deliver a piece of cinema that will likely take us all some time to fully comprehend.
From almost the very first frame of this visually stunning spectacle, Nolan brings us to into a thrilling fight for survival that for around 100 non-stop minutes takes us on a perilous, danger filled experience on land, sea and air as a collection of British soldiers and countrymen look to escape the beaches of Dunkirk as the German army encompasses them ever so surely.
The way in which Nolan uses this history making moment of World-War 2 to explore a pulse-pounding tale of survival and sacrifice is incredible and delivered through a non-linear fashion that plays with timeframes and portrays numerous scenes through different points of view, Nolan has crafted a war film cume thriller that must surely be one of the tensest films ever made.
You feel every bullet passing through the air, you feel the ominous dread of planes flying over head unleashing hell from above, you feel the full force of a crash landing or crushed bones and you sense the unrelenting will to survive, all playing out through a spectacularly crafted film production.
Seeing Dunkirk in Imax is a jaw dropping experience and this is a one of those films that all should seek to catch on the nearest biggest screen available.
Nolan who alongside DOP Hoyte Van Hoytema and renowned composer Hans Zimmer has crafted an undeniably impressive big screen creation. Zimmer's frantic tension racketing score and Hoytema's expansive lens (perfect for Imax enjoyment) working alongside Nolan and his committed cast that is spearheaded by Fionn Whitehead's young solider Tommy, Tom Hardy's dogged pilot Farrier, Mark Rylance's everyday seaman turned hero Mr. Dawson, Cillian Murphy's shell-shocked and nameless survivor and yep One Direction's Harry Style's Alex, Dunkirk is an all round production that will likely partake in an abundance of technical end of year awards and hopefully past-due awards recognition for Nolan himself.
A master of his art for so long now, Dunkirk feels like the final undeniable piece of Nolan's filmography puzzle and for anyone that has felt in the past that Nolan is undeserving of the praise he has so far received, good luck arguing against it now after sitting through this impeccably designed and executed thrill-ride that achieves its goal of not delieveing a history lesson but an utterly captivating encapsulation of the Dunkirk event.
Final Say –
While it has some minor flaws and foibles (what film doesn't?), Dunkirk is clearly the work of a master director that acts as groundbreaking cinema that should be sought out by any who have even a passing interest in film.
A white-knuckle examination of an unbelievable true life event, that's filled with spectacle but most importantly an understated yet touching and thought- provoking power, Dunkirk is easily one of the years must-see film's and a likely all time classic of the war genre.
5 pieces of bread out of 5