A Masterful, Riveting, and Tense War Drama

Rating: 9/10 (22 July 2017)

Being a fan of Christopher Nolan, I had always been excited for this film of his. Happily, I can report that it does not disappoint by any stretch of the imagination. This film depicts the Allied evacuation of Dunkirk, France in 1940 (before the United States had entered World War II.) At only 106 minutes, Nolan's film doesn't have an ounce of fat on its bones. While the film contains relatively little dialogue, it never feels minimalistic. Rather, its astounding and wide-scale cinematography makes the film feel grand and bold on a scale rarely experienced in modern cinema. The film alternates between three points of view, each of which is set over a different time span: those on the land, the sea, and the air. That said, this never feels distracting or too difficult to follow.
The sense of suspense depicted in this film is masterful. Using a simple but effective score and relatively minimalist sound effects, audiences are fully engaged in the heart-pounding tension. This is one of the most thoroughly tense movies I have seen in theaters in a while. The ability by Nolan to juxtapose such sound and visual effects to create an immersive experience is wholly unique and commendable. While characterization of the pilot characters could have been slightly improved, the film's characters are generally thorough. All in all, this is a near-perfect war film that must be seen--and experienced--on the big screen. 9.5/10