(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) – Last summer, highly acclaimed director, Christopher Nolan released his 10th film. Nolan is considered to be one of the best directors working in Hollywood. His work includes “Inception,” “Interstellar” and “The Dark Knight” trilogy. His latest film “Dunkirk” is set around the real-life Battle of Dunkirk that occurred during World War II.
In 1940, the Nazi invasion had swept through Western Europe. In a matter of weeks, they had overtaken the British forces and conquered France. The defeated armies of both Britain and France were forced to retreat. It is at the port of Dunkirk, France that the armies gather for their evacuation to England, but as they wait for help to arrive, they are tormented by planes, bombers, submarines and the slowly approaching army of the enemy.
The first thing about “Dunkirk” you should know is, that it isn’t a war film. At least, not in the traditional sense. The film focuses on tension and survival rather than combat. In truth, “Dunkirk” is a psychological thriller like all other Christopher Nolan films. Every movie Nolan has ever made, has been a thriller in one way or another. Even “The Dark Knight” is a thriller at times.
What stands out from this movie are the characters. The film focuses on several people as they try to survive and/or do their duty in the chaos of Dunkirk. In the past, Nolan has made movies with bland characters. Instead, he tends to focus more on interesting plots. In “Dunkirk” the characters feel a lot more human than in his previous work. A few of them act almost cowardly. Yet, the film never portrays them as cowards rather as people just trying to live.
The characters are impressive when considering how little dialogue is in the movie and that a few of the characters remain nameless. Though, not all of the characters are satisfying, some have little screen time, and due to their lack of names, it can get confusing which person is which.
Despite not being a true war-film, “Dunkirk” is faithful to the real battle. The planes and boats on screen are all based on real machinery, some being replicas. Several battleships used were real British battleships, along with the German fighter-planes. Historical facts are also mentioned in the film, like how the British were evacuated first, the French were forced to wait for their turn. To add further realism, most of the movie’s special effects are practical. This means there was little computer generated images. Like I said, many of the boats and planes are real. In addition, the movie was shot around the real city of Dunkirk.
Never let the PG-13 rating fool you when Christopher Nolan is the director. His movies can be more intense and scary than ones with an R rating. “The Dark Knight” can be disturbing at times, and so is “Dunkirk.” When a ship sinks, not everyone makes it out. At first, I hated the idea of a war-film rated PG-13. What war is PG-13? But after seeing scenes with drowning men scream as they are hopelessly trapped, I’ll give “Dunkirk” a pass.
Unlike other Christopher Nolan movies, it’s not a masterpiece. The film loses its intensity overtime. In the beginning, the peril is non-stop. It becomes less and less by the third act. It ends on a very hopeful and positive note. Granted, the British did win the war – obviously. Still, this is a big contrast to how the movie began, and as mentioned above, there isn’t a lot of talking.
Overall, I would say that “Dunkirk” is a really good movie. Of course, it’s not perfect. It’s not the best film Christopher Nolan has ever made. If you enjoy his other movies, you’ll probably enjoy this one. If you are looking for another great movie by Nolan on par with “The Dark Knight,” you might feel a little disappointed. I know I was after my first viewing, I didn’t warm up to it until my second time. If “Dunkirk” sounds like a movie you would like to watch, I do recommend seeing it. It’s not the next “Inception,” but is another good movie from a good director.