Dunkirk Review

     Dunkirk is the newest film from the creative mind of Christopher Nolan. While I was not the biggest fan of his two most recent releases, The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar, the anticipation leading up to Dunkirk had me really intrigued. This is a more grounded story that is based on actual events during World War II. Although Dunkirk is not quite what audiences will expect as far as characters go, this movie works brilliantly because of the tension and directing that Christopher Nolan brings on screen.
     When allied soldiers consisting of Belgians, Britons, and the French are entrapped and surrounded by German forces, they must risk their lives in order to find a way off the beach. The film has three separate storylines. They tell of one week on the beach, one day on the sea, and one hour in the air.

     What stands out the most about this movie is the tension that Nolan manages to create and direct. There are a handful of scenes in this movie that are beautifully crafted and suspenseful. Nolan used IMAX cameras to shoot a good majority of this movie and the scenes are so immersive. The cinematography was done by Hoyte van Hoytema who worked with Nolan on Interstellar. This is a different take on a war film but is executed incredibly well. If there is a film that needs to been seen in the theater this summer, it is Dunkirk because you feel like you're smack down in the action with these characters.
     One aspect of Christopher Nolan's movies that audiences can always look forward to is the score from Hans Zimmer and Dunkirk continues that trend. The scores' forefront is a clock ticking but Zimmer uses this as an excellent pacing device and constructs the rest of the score around it. It's really enticing and beautifully adds to the tension.
     The way this story plays out is really well done. Nolan is famously known for his unique way of using a non-linear narrative. Memento is a phenomenal use of this device. This is done in Dunkirk as well and serves the story very well.

     This movie is not heavily relied upon by the characters. Most films that bothers me however Nolan creates audiences' loyalty with characters through the intense situations that we find them in. This movie does not have a whole lot of A list stars besides Tom Hardy but even he does not get a lot of screen time. This is the acting debut for One Direction member, Harry Styles and he does a serviceable job. This movie does not rely too much on dialogue so it's difficult to tell how good he really is but he did really well with his physicality, as well as the rest of the cast.
     Although I could have used a little more character development, Nolan's direction makes complete sense and he creates audience attachment through the situations at hand. The action is so phenomenal in this movie that it NEEDS to be seen in theaters like Nolan intended for it to be.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10