Beneath Untold Layers of Tension, an Observant Artist's Touch

Rating: 7/10 (25 January 2018)

The terror of a quiet solitude, exposed on an endangered French beach and desperately awaiting evacuation at the height of World War II. Abandoning the more experimental themes he toyed with in Inception and Interstellar, Christopher Nolan has set out to make a mostly-straight war picture, shining his spotlight on a major test (and ultimate turning point) for the British armed forces. Told from three entangled perspectives - one each from land, sea and air - we see heroes, victims, cowards and lunatics emerge from what might have otherwise seemed a nondescript group of young men. It's far less bombastic than the standard combat film, with a soft, observant character and distinct lack of extraneous dialog. That reticence, paired with an emphasis on beautifully-composed photography, reminded me more of an art film than an action epic. The battlefield's thick tension is inescapable, though, always drawing us back to the moment, with the frightened skyward eyes and skittish, shell-shocked nature of nearby soldiers proving a constant reminder that arbitrary death could be mere moments away. It's also the rare positive example of a recent tendency toward uneven sound mixes: a barrage of gunfire or sudden, screaming airborne bombing run can pack a mighty punch.