Another Great Nolan Film.

Rating: 8/10 (23 July 2017)

If there is one thing that Christopher Nolan does better than any other director working right now it's that he puts butts in seats. Every single movie he has made since 'Batman Begins' has featured people swarming in droves to their nearest theater. I would wager that 90% of people that go see this film will not know anything about the subject matter. Which is sort of what makes him so interesting. He is making gigantic studio blockbusters of whatever he wants. Warner Bros smartly realized that this man packs theaters and makes money so they let him do whatever he feels like doing. Which is a little weird considering Warner Bros DC cinematic universe right now...
Before I get too far into this movie I want to point out the few negatives I have with it. Keep in mind that these things will more than likely not bother anyone else. I also realize that these are nitpicking but regardless, they still took me out of the experience. And I would call this an experience, which is all the more reason that these nitpicks bother me. When something happens in an experience to take you out of it I think it's fair to point at that to say that it ruined a bit of the experience.
And the thing that ruined the most parts of this film was the audio recordings. No, not the sound effects but the microphones that recorded the actor's dialogue. Almost every single time an actor talked there was an audible buzzing sound that would fade in and out each time a character opened their mouth. I'm pretty happy that most of the film didn't need dialogue because this bugged literally every time it happened.
The only other blemish on the film's armor comes due to the color correcting and nonlinear nature of the story. There was a number of scenes where every single cut was a different color temperature. We would see a vibrant blue sky with a bomber flying and the next cut would be a boat that looked gray or orange. Or one cut would be during daytime and the next would be dark. Again, these are small issues but in an experience such as this, they stand out far more than they would in a 'Dark Knight' sort of film.
However, this is easily the best war movie 2017 has to offer. Which is saying a lot considering the vast surplus of war melodramas from this year. Much like Nolans other movies 'Dunkirk' is a sensory masterpiece. Every shot in the film is near perfect. The composition of each frame and the camera movement is so precise for each individual scene. Not only that but the sound editing is absolutely spectacular.
The film is abrasively loud and in your face. From the very first scene the film barrages you with ear piercing sounds that put you right in the middle of this war. Planes rumble overhead, bullet whiz by, and people yell at each other and it's all captured perfectly. In all honesty, if I were to judge this film based on its technical achievements this would receive top marks, especially when costumes, sets, and makeup is factored in.
Because every single thing in this film is so believable that it often transcends being a film and almost feels like a documentary. Nolan's craft has never been better and he deserves endless praise because he directors the crap out of this movie. But Nolan is not only the director here, he is also the writer. Which brings me to the most intriguing aspect of the movie. The structure and story that we get aren't like your everyday war movie.
Sure the story is very simple but it tells it from three different perspectives. Doing this allowed him to cut between the sea, land, and air which brings different dimensions to this battle. We see how each one affects and is affected by each other. This also allows Nolan to cut away from one thing to another the moment it gets dull. He doesn't have to restrict himself to making the air plane scenes interesting all on their own. Instead he just cuts to something interesting when the dog fight is over.
Doing this keeps the pace of the film absolutely relentless. For ninety minutes you are barraged endlessly by this fight. While it may not always work the strengths far outweigh the flaws. The costumes, sets, acting, direction, cinematography, action, and the visual nature of the film all come together to create something that feels so different than everything else out right now. Sure, it may not be your typical summer blockbuster and I'm not sure I could ever watch it again but it's certainly worth keeping out.