In 1940, near the start of World War II, the Allied forcessuffered a tremendous defeat against German forces in the town of Dunkirk inFrance. Subsequently, 300,000 soldiers would be evacuated by military and civilianwatercraft, but the losses were nearly immeasurable. It's a harrowing tale notknown to many who aren't WWII buffs before now, but in Christopher Nolan'ssprawling yet concisely told Dunkirk,we see the tragic events play out with a relentless pace and attention todetail.
We follow three main narratives; that of soldiers strandedon a beach waiting for rescue over the period of a week, an hour in the livesof British fighter pilots, and a single day for a civilian pleasure yachtcaptain who helps retrieve said soldiers alongside his son and his son'sfriend. Nolan presents an off-kilter look at each timeline, weaving in and outof the stories, though Dunkirk neverfeels disjointed. Rather, as bits and pieces from each angle are revealed, webegin to understand the incredible scope of the evacuation and just how luckythe survivors really were, though we're faced with some hard truths before the credits roll.
It is, in fact, somewhat rare to see a mainstream film thatdeviates from the cinematic formula, but Nolan doesn't let up for an instant. Fromthe terrifying desperation of those stranded on the beach to a shell-shocked soldier(Cillian Murphy of Netflix series PeakyBlinders as well as Nolan's Batman films)too broken to return to battle and a selfless dogfighter (Tom Hardy) barelyhobbling along in the sky, dialogue becomes sparse compared to the franticreality of sinking ships, dropped shells and the cruelty of the human survival instinct.
Of course, there are only so many times you can see a bunch of soldiers abandona ship, and the jarring nature of the heaving seas becomes nearly as difficultto watch as the violence. Still, moving performances from Mark Rylance andKenneth Branagh—not to mention a surprisingly natural turn from Harry Styles(yeah, from One Direction)—remain a joy to watch, and the utter unfairness andbrutality of war hang heavy over every last scene. This isn't just one of thebest war movies in recent memory, it's one that will no doubt be shown inschools and referred to forever as an artful depiction of one of the ugliestchapters in human history. Just do yourselves a favor and pop into the Jean CocteauCinema for the 35mm version, a form in which Nolan intended the film to be seen. It'sworth it.
10
+ Relentless yet beautiful
- Lots of people jumping off ships
Dunkirk
Directed by Nolan
With Murphy, Hardy, Rylance, Branagh and Styles
Jean Cocteau Cinema, Violet Crown, R, 106 min.
