A bold, visionary film from already esteemed filmmaker

Rating: 9/10 (24 July 2017)

This may be the least Nolan-esque movie I've ever seen. He breaks many of his conventional styles for a less conventional "Nolan" movie. The plot is simplistic due mostly to his dedication to tell the story of a real event, something he's never done before. The storytelling is not complex, and is pretty much straightforward throughout. There is no magnificent reveal at the end of the film or jaw-dropping twist. This may be a turnoff for some, as many walk into a Nolan movie expecting the aforementioned things, which he does the complete opposite of. This is not a war epic, such as the likes of Saving Private Ryan or Hacksaw Ridge. Instead, it is a quiet film, one we've never really seen the likes of. Nolan keeps his standard of breaking genre conventions. Films like The Dark Knight and Memento broke the conventions of the superhero and mystery genres. He creates a type of war/historical film not concentrated on the characters the war affects directly, but instead about the war itself. The characters are mostly unnamed, developed very little, and the dialogue is sparse. There is no cliché moment where the characters talk about their wife and children back at home, or their home that was bombed, simply because there is no time for that; the danger of Dunkirk was present at every moment. He also tells this story in a different way then we are used to seeing in war films. It is not really non-linear as the events aren't happening out of order like in Memento. More like he shows us many things happening at once in different locations, and in the end they come together beautifully like pieces in a puzzle. Tom Hardy's dogfights in the air, to Cillian Murphy's fear of returning to Dunkirk, to the terror of the soldiers on the beach. By doing this, he creates a wholly immersive story. We don't know much about the characters but we feel what they feel, which is a hard feat to master. The most influencing character in the story would be in my opinion cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who shines throughout the entire movie. It is also hard to point out one specific protagonist, which is alright in this case. We feel for the characters all equally. There is no single person with questionable morals like in all other Nolan movies, and no real emotional arc for any of them, except for the boy George. We learn from his past life that he feels like he does not do well in school, and one day wishes to see his name in the local paper. In an effort to change things, he wants to be a help in the war by joining the retired veteran and his son to save downed pilots. He dies in the battle tragically, and is labeled a war hero in the newspaper at the end. Tom Hardy shines in his role as the leading pilot of the air force we are shown. He communicates so many emotions with just his eyes, as he did in The Dark Knight Rises, and proves himself again to be one of the best actors working today. And of course I don't need to say how great the special (in Nolan's case, practical) effects are in this movie. Real ships sink, real explosions rock the audience. Nothing looks out of place or not authentic, which immerses us in the moment even more. Zimmer's score once again is fantastic. He doesn't compose melodic lines, and it would be easier to describe the soundtrack as more of sound design, which fits the movie. War is not melodic, it is jumbled. He has shown again he is a master at creating music specifically for the type of movie, like in The Dark Knight, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Interstellar. The only flaws I felt were in this movie were the intro and the second act. I felt the text explaining the events that happened at Dunkirk was really unnecessary and detracted us from the five soldiers in the beginning of the film. I also felt the second act dragged a lot, as it was mostly filler for the magnificent third act and finale. It is definitely in contention for Oscar season, perhaps for direction, cinematography, sound design and score. To say this film is boring would be like saying films such as 2001 or Taxi Driver are also boring. Maybe these films are quiet and slow, but there is an underlying brilliance to them. "All good art is something greater than it admits."