Dunkirk (2017)

Dunkirk (2017)

7/10

Starring

Fionn Whitehead

Tom Glynn-Carney

Jack Lowden

Harry Styles

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan decided to take a bite at the evacuation of soldiers in Dunkirk during World War II. His take can be viewed in this film through three distinct narratives, which, I’ll say, weren’t the best part of the movie. The different narratives added to the drama and the plight soldiers faced during the war. These narratives show how they faced various challenges in the air, sea, and land as the soldiers hoped to get home and their country tried to make it happen.

Dunkirk is cinematography gold. The powerful filming and editing help add to the suspense you feel while watching. Then, the sound mixing is just legendary. Many may not like the movie because of the shifting of the plot from different corners, but Nolan decided to transcend the need to please and deliver what will always be remembered as one of the best war films you can see.

In this movie, not all the heroes get a standing ovation. What this movie gives you is war the way it really is.

A short synopsis of Dunkirk would be: a bunch of men trying to get home and escape the death being dealt to them by the Germans. We start this journey on land. A man and his team can be seen running through a town for survival while being ambushed. Only one man makes it to the safe haven, and that man is Tommy. Tommy reaches the beach hoping to find a boat to take him home when he sees the hundreds of thousands of men also waiting to be rescued.

It’s there he meets Gibson, another man hoping to make it alive to Britain. As they wait, they witness the Germans taking down the boats and ships needed to take them safely back home.

Elsewhere in the air, we see three Spitfires tasked with making the evacuation safe. Their problem is also compounded by the challenge of fighting off various German aircraft, which seem poised to kill as many people as they can.

At sea, as mentioned earlier, the English are short of boats and ships, and the Navy is recruiting local boats to go and rescue the soldiers. All these different narratives meet in the middle, which happens to be the end of the movie, as they all play a strong role in safeguarding the soldiers’ journey back home.

Nolan has taken filmmaking to another tier with this movie, making it, for me, one of the best war movies I’ve seen to date.

The movie was a box-office hit, both critically and commercially. It’s noted for its historical accuracy concerning the events that took place. It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and took home three: Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Film Editing.