I have a funny relationship with Christopher Nolan’s films. I don’t dislike any of them, but I find much of his work overrated. As the guys at Honest Trailers put it: he apparently gets a lifetime pass because he made The Dark Knight. When judging a new Nolan film I’m aware I lean on the harsher side. Believe me, I’m more surprised than anyone to say I’m jumping in with the fanboys and professing my love of Dunkirk, the latest entry in Nolan’s catalogue with an all-caps one word title.
Credit: Momentum Pictures, Newmarket, Warner Bros
Based on the real-life World War 2 evacuation, Dunkirk follows the attempted rescue of 400,000 Allied soldiers stranded on a beach in northern France. Surrounded by enemies closing around them and hammered by bombs from above, they wait and hope for safe passage across the Channel.
Nolan sets Dunkirk apart from other war films by using an unconventional structure. Following a handful of soldiers and civilians, the story plays out like one huge action sequence told at break-neck pace. Not burdened by exposition or tedious dialogue, Dunkirk drags you through this awful situation taking place over a matter of days, with some scenes playing out almost in real-time.
Credit: Warner Bros
From the opening shot, you’re plunged into this apocalyptic situation. A cacophony of gunfire accompanies a soldier’s desperate scramble for the beach. There he only finds the dead buried in sand, thousands of powerless servicemen awaiting rescue, and the scream of bombers raining destruction from the sky.
Nolan gets maximum mileage out of the IMAX format with breathtaking, immersive visuals. Whether you’re in the cockpit of a Spitfire or bobbing in the ocean beside a sunken vessel, you are there, and for its one hundred arduous minutes I dared not look away. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema captures this beautifully, and if it wasn’t for Roger Deakins lensing Blade Runner 2049 later this year, I’d say he’s a sure pick for the Oscar.
Complementing this visual feast is powerful sound design that’ll have you checking your body for bullet holes whenever shots are fired. Hans Zimmer’s score is one of his best yet. The recurring motif of a ticking watch beats with unsettling urgency, and rising swells mimicking the roar of aircraft will make you sweat with dread.
Credit: Warner Bros
Dunkirk isn’t perfect. The characters are lacking in substance, even though the leads are all active in driving the plot along. I’m conflicted on this issue. There are no grand emotional arcs as is traditional in cinema. But by stepping back from delving too deep into these individuals, we wind up rooting not for our heroes but for everyone stranded – we root for a resolution. Because, as it is in reality, there is no one hero in war, just a bunch of people doing what they can.
My next criticism may shock many. Nolan once again makes excellent use of practical effects. Dogfights are filmed using real planes, all the ships are historic vessels, the cast of extras is enormous – all of this is wonderful and lends even more realism. Sometimes, this insistence on using practical effects works to his disadvantage. We are supposed to see a beach of 400,000 soldiers but instead we see a few thousand at most. It bugged me because I lost the sense of scale.
My last criticism should shock nobody. Dunkirk relies on visual storytelling with minimal dialogue. This is good because we all know Nolan isn’t a wordsmith.
Credit: Warner Bros
And there is some eye roll-inducing Nolan-esque dialogue. Do we really need to hear that the soldiers stuck on the beach are, “like fish in a barrel?”
Nitpicks aside, Dunkirk might be my favourite Nolan film since 2006’s The Prestige. Not only a gritty, immersive experience with an impeccable score, but a rich, satisfying story told in an innovative way. #NolanFanboy
What’s your favourite Christopher Nolan film? Mine is still Memento.
(GRADES: Both are from 0 to 10. The left is an objective score based on the film’s merit, the right is my personal enjoyment.)
Header image credit: Warner Bros
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