FOR NOLAN FANS: Where Dunkirk stacks up

Rating: 8/10 (21 July 2017)

To get it all out in the open, I have a deep bias towards worshipping the ground that Christopher Nolan steps on. His previous work has left an indelible impression on how I watch movies and has changed what I know possible to put to the screen. For this reason, I have played Dunkirk back through my head many more times than I would for any other director. After it all, I can affirmatively state that Dunkirk is a technical masterpiece, with an (intentional) absence of the emotional core that so many of us are accustomed to seeing.
From the direction, to the editing, to the cinematography, to the score, to the set design, to the stunt coordination, etc. Dunkirk is glorious to behold. I can understand why many critics have responded so positively to this film. It truly is incredible and worth the extra price of IMAX admission on that plane alone. Having said that, Dunkirk is a stark contrast to the formula people are accustomed to in relation to a narrative arc. Essentially, there is none.
But people cannot claim to love "graphic" and "realistic" war movies, and then turn to say that this movie doesn't reach that threshold. It doesn't take flying limbs and hanging intestines to make a realistic war movie. Sure, certain aspects of war do require that level of gore to be completely accurate, but what Nolan explores here is the unshakable dread and hopelessness of defeat. In many ways, Dunkirk is more realistic than most war movies out there. One of the primary strengths of the film is that it drops you from your seat right into the center of chaos. And in these heart-pounding moments, you don't want to be a hero, you just want to get out. The omnipresent sense of fear courses through the entire movie, because Nolan surrounds you with his film and the feeling of utter desperation.
Regardless, I foresee that many people will not like this movie. It's been touched on in many other reviews, but with the lack of a traditional protagonist, a certain piece of the story feels lost. There is no single character for the audience to really get behind or root for. I would argue that the real protagonist is simply survival. But as with any time a new form of storytelling is employed, there is going to be controversy and disagreement. I am tired of the formulaic, cut & paste structure so commonly used in many blockbusters today, so Dunkirk is a refreshing break from form. There were still times however, where I felt a palpable disconnect from the film due to this strange story structure.
As I stated in the beginning, I love Nolan's work. It is for this reason, that I accept I've looked deeper into this film than I would have for any other director. In most cases, I would dismiss this film as a mediocre attempt at trying something different, but knowing how smart Nolan is, has prevented me from doing that for Dunkirk. And once I peeled back the layers, I started to understand what he's done with this film. Instead of giving you characters to have emotions for, he has aimed at instilling in you the emotions felt by the every-day young men that actually experienced this event. And not enough can be said for the technical mastery executed to bring this film to life. Even so, this is far from my favorite Nolan film. The Dark Knight, Inception and Memento are all still well above Dunkirk in my personal ranking. The critics claiming this to be Nolan's definitive best film greatly affected my expectations, and I want to set that straight for any future viewers before they see this film.