Pure Cinema

Rating: 9/10 (1 August 2017)

Christopher Nolan is without a doubt one of the greats, a modern day auteur, and the filmmaker behind some of cinemas most highly anticipated indie films. The man has managed to find the sweet spot between blockbuster and art film, gaining the praise of critics and casual viewers alike. The man has become an event in himself, everyone knows when a Christopher Nolan film is coming and they flock to the cinema because of his name. I love Christopher Nolan's films, he has yet to make a bad film, despite The Dark Knight Rises being disappointing on reflection. Although not stepping many feet wrong his entire career, I don't view Nolan and his work as many others do, that being as the work of an untouchable God. I try to walk in without expectation or, without having already decided the film is a perfect 10/10, as it seems quite a few people don't do. However, I really wanted to enjoy Dunkirk for my own sake, God forbid I actually didn't like it, I would swiftly be told why exactly I am wrong in even suggesting Nolan could step a foot wrong Thank God I actually really enjoyed the film, phew. Dunkirk recounts the true story of the evacuation of British soldiers from Dunkirk in 1940. The film is high octane, action packed and suspenseful and again Nolan proves why he's a human cinematic event.
This film is obviously a Nolan film, there are some star talent in the film, but they are there because they want to work with Nolan, not the other way round. The film is, for the most part, wordless, this isn't really a film for actors to shine, it's for Nolan to show the world how the real thing can be, and is often, better than CGI. With the film being wonderfully wordless, Nolan shows he knows exactly what film is and always should be, the visual art of storytelling. He has obviously taken note from such greats as Hitchcock, using sound and dialogue to further aid the visual, not to overpower it. In today's film landscape this is quite rare, and so you have to give Nolan credit and respect for making a film the way they should, but rarely are, made. This is film after all, not radio. Also to note, Hoyte Van Hoytema's cinematography in this film is absolutely breathtaking, Dunkirk would be little without his work and he is in need of some serious recognition.
Dunkirk isn't a conventional war film, we don't get character development in the form of "who you got back home son?" campfire talks, nor do we get multiple battles throughout the run time. Dunkirk doesn't have a dull moment whatsoever. It is a battle from beginning to end, and so with this, Nolan does not allow us, the audience to rest easy. Nolan doesn't hold off on the tension at all. I personally loved moments where Nolan momentarily lulls us into a false sense of security, only to then provide a sudden jump scare in the form of gunfire, reminding us that you are never safe in the middle of war. Now this is how you use sound as a jump scare correctly. This film is high octane, tense and extremely gripping from start to end.
Also this being a Nolan film, he has to make things more complex, he can't just tell a war movie with a chronological narrative structure. Dunkirk follows the same story, from three different perspectives and three different time frames. For audience members, like myself, who understand Nolan's knack for complex storytelling, this will be confusing for a moment whilst you recall previous information to make everything make sense again, and then you will love what Nolan has done. However, audiences who expect to see a war film, which by our conventional understanding is often self explanatory, will forget that previous information and thus remain confused throughout the rest of the movie. I've seen negative reviews say that Dunkirk gives no indication of time, and to an extent they are right, but then again all I can say is watch it again, but this time take note of the opening title cards which read "one week", "one day" and "one hour" it should clear things up, but I do think maybe the title cards could be a little clearer.
To conclude, Dunkirk is Nolan's Full Metal Jacket. I wouldn't say this is his greatest masterpiece, I reserve that for Memento. But Dunkirk is an outstanding piece of cinema that proves Nolan's auteurship and that he is one of the greatest filmmakers alive, if not, who ever lived. The man knows film and knows how to make a great, complex one. Hell the guy has a knack for impressing the experts, having actual scientists make discoveries through Interstellar, and now by a soldier who was at Dunkirk, praising Nolan for his accurate representation of the event. Now if that doesn't say it all then I don't know what will.