A valiant attempt

Rating: 9/10 (26 July 2017)

There is no doubt that Christopher Nolan is a gifted film maker and his talents are there for all to see in this impressive and epic piece. Expertly shot, nicely acted, well made, and put together with care and passion this movie hits many of the marks required to elevate it to status of one of the 'All time great War Movies'. The opening scene akin to Saving Private Ryan immediately drops us into the loud and frightening line of fire. The urban scenes combined with pulsating score have us on edge from early doors. The harsh home hitting salvos leave us very much aware of the ominous might of the German forces and the perilous plight of the stranded allied fighters.
It should be noted, that unlike Spielberg's 15 rated movie, Nolan's is rated at 12s and rightly so. Whereas Spielberg relied heavily on amputees blood and gore, the latter doesn't need to flash pointless blood in our faces. Although not short of truly heart flinching moments, there are no head shots here. What there is however, is an unrelenting sense of isolation, desperation, fear, and mortality. Credit for this has to go the director.
For any war movie fans out there, the best way I can describe the narrative to this tale would be to mention 'The Longest Day'. Our story flips between a set of characters of differing time lines. Unlike the older movie though, all of these narratives meet in a crescendo of completion. This story shows us several viewpoints, all at a very personal level and brings them together into one larger more complete picture.
Here lies my first peeve. Don't get me wrong, it is expertly edited and as a story, it is delivered brilliantly. I just found the jumping time lines, although interesting to take in and a novel way of telling a story, a little annoying. Having the same character in two differing time lines leading to one ending I found odd. It might just be my penchant for old fashioned war movies and how they are told that perked my rigidness. In saying that, perhaps this story is better told in that new manner and a linear tale would not have had the same impact. This is the decision of the director and as I say, his work here is excellent.
I should like to quickly insert my second and last peeve regarding this film before I move on to the good herein. As I watched this movie I couldn't help feel that there weren't enough men on the boats. It might sound small, but fleeing warships had men maybe one or two deep on deck along the side. From pictures I had seen as a kid I remembered these boats being packed to the brim, so much so that they might be in larger danger of sinking from being overloaded than from any German bomber or U-boat. From a movie that instilled ominous fear from the start, I didn't quite feel the sense of bustling over burdened ships. I couldn't help but think 'you could fit loads more in there'. Anyway, a minor detail that I'm sure won't affect your enjoyment.
One thing that most impressed me in the movie is Tom Hardy's ability to act with just the expression in his eyes. This is surely a true gift of a talented actor. It can't be long before he tastes the sweet joy of an Academy award? Kenneth Branagh is his usual stoic self while Cillian Murphy is as solid as always. Just as with 'The Longest Day', no actor hogs the screen time as the story bounces between all our heroes. Worth noting further is that you will be so caught up in this movie you will hardly even notice the guy from One Direction. Time will fly by.
So, is it worth catching? Of course it is. I saw it on IMAX 2D and thoroughly enjoyed it, although an older gentleman who most likely may have been at Dunkirk seemed to think it was a little too loud. War is loud however, and Nolan has pulled off a truly great movie with depth, style and emotion. Must See.
ADDITIONAL: After reading some of the so called reviews on here I must clarify that there is emotion in this movie, and lots of it. Real, numb, raw emotion perhaps best seen in the acts that men are driven to through fear and the thirst to survive. Just because they don't cry and tell you their life story or take out a pic of their sweetheart back home doesn't mean it is not there to be seen. It's not a Spielberg, it's not in your face, it's not riddled with C.G.I. and clichéd over acting. I assure you if you have any emotional intelligence you will feel the reality of this movie. If you'd rather see overacting, a three stage play act, lots of effects, and a happy ending, may I suggest you wait for the next Marvel production? This movie is a very good war movie and worth catching.