Writer/Director Christopher Nolan's newest film, the WWII epic Dunkirk, is a masterwork and by far the best film to hit theaters in the last three years. It will win countless awards in the coming months and may go down as the best war film of all time. Dunkirk is actually so good that I saw it twice over the weekend just to make sure my first reaction was accurate. In fact, it's even better upon repeat viewing.
It is the late spring of 1940, and British and French forces have been pushed to the ocean by Nazi invasion from the east. Unable to halt the German conquest of mainland Europe, the Allies are perilously waiting on the beach for evacuation across the English Channel back to Britain. England needs its soldiers to return in order to make a final stand to protect their homeland, but with German fighter planes obliterating rescue ships and bombing the exposed beach, the soldiers' escape grows more desperate by the hour.
Unlike traditional war films, such as Saving Private Ryan for example, the story of Dunkirk is not of soldiers attempting to complete a mission, ever moving forward. Rather, this is a film about waiting and retreating. It is not the valiant venture into battle; it is the ominous dread of what could be on the way. The Dunkirk beach is a Purgatory, and we are unsure who will achieve salvation. Nolan's choice in showing this side of war, in which scared boys are just trying to get home, is an important perspective for helping us understand that for every act of heroism, there is also the reality of fear and helplessness.
In true Nolan style, he chooses to show us the conflict with non-linear narrative and multiple subjective points of view. We are able to watch these men from the land, the sea, and the air, as well as over the course of several days, one full day, and one hour of battle time. (This isn't a spoiler, but for those who may be confused when watching, just keep in mind that the British fighter pilots have the only perspective in the present. Everything they see has already taken place hours or even days earlier.) This disjointed technique reminds us that everyone has their own interpretation of traumatic events, and some go through them at various intervals or for various durations. No one's participation in war is identical to another's.
Nolan employs limited dialogue and minimal character background. We never fully know who these men are, which emphasizes how they could represent thousands of others, their anonymity indicative of just one point in time in a war that involved millions and spanned much of the globe. While we follow several main characters--a Navy commander (Kenneth Branagh), a pilot (Tom Hardy), a civilian boat captain (Mark Rylance), and a young Army private (Fionn Whitehead)--the story is the event itself. And how it is visualized is our real connection. Nolan uses brilliant cinematography and production design to capture both the enormous scope of the outside locations along with the claustrophobia of cockpits and boat hulls. His reliance upon actual effects, instead of CGI, perfectly heightens the realism of what we see and intensity of what we feel. This is a film that deserves to be seen on the largest and loudest screen possible.
Nolan is often accused of focusing on spectacle and trickery more than worthwhile storytelling, and some criticism is valid. I was mostly disinterested by Inception, overwhelmed by implausibility with parts of the Batman trilogy, and mostly bored and annoyed at Interstellar. But Nolan's choices are just right here. And while some may find his methods obtrusive or pretentious, choosing cool over coherence, Dunkirk benefits from his singular style. And I definitely applaud his ability here to, uncharacteristically, keep a big film under the two-hour mark.
The lesson of Dunkirk is that "survival isn't fair." There are innocent people that perish and dishonorable people that make it out alive. But also that anyone can be a hero. We all can and should answer the call to be useful, and the image of civilian sailors forging into danger is one of the most moving scenes one will see on film.
Like the Battle of Bunker Hill or the Battle of Maldon, we speak of what happened on the beaches of Dunkirk, France, not in remembrance of victory. Rather, such conflicts are historical reminders of what value can be gleaned from defeat, how honor and bravery can shine through the darkest of times. As one soldier, feeling a failure upon returning to England, says, "All we did was survive." A grateful civilian replies, "That's enough." In war, as in life, sometimes victory comes not just from winning, but in the fighting itself. And living to inspire others is often the ultimate feat of humanity.
Grade: A+
(P.S. This is the first film on English Champion to receive an A+ rating.)
It is the late spring of 1940, and British and French forces have been pushed to the ocean by Nazi invasion from the east. Unable to halt the German conquest of mainland Europe, the Allies are perilously waiting on the beach for evacuation across the English Channel back to Britain. England needs its soldiers to return in order to make a final stand to protect their homeland, but with German fighter planes obliterating rescue ships and bombing the exposed beach, the soldiers' escape grows more desperate by the hour.
Unlike traditional war films, such as Saving Private Ryan for example, the story of Dunkirk is not of soldiers attempting to complete a mission, ever moving forward. Rather, this is a film about waiting and retreating. It is not the valiant venture into battle; it is the ominous dread of what could be on the way. The Dunkirk beach is a Purgatory, and we are unsure who will achieve salvation. Nolan's choice in showing this side of war, in which scared boys are just trying to get home, is an important perspective for helping us understand that for every act of heroism, there is also the reality of fear and helplessness.
In true Nolan style, he chooses to show us the conflict with non-linear narrative and multiple subjective points of view. We are able to watch these men from the land, the sea, and the air, as well as over the course of several days, one full day, and one hour of battle time. (This isn't a spoiler, but for those who may be confused when watching, just keep in mind that the British fighter pilots have the only perspective in the present. Everything they see has already taken place hours or even days earlier.) This disjointed technique reminds us that everyone has their own interpretation of traumatic events, and some go through them at various intervals or for various durations. No one's participation in war is identical to another's.
Nolan employs limited dialogue and minimal character background. We never fully know who these men are, which emphasizes how they could represent thousands of others, their anonymity indicative of just one point in time in a war that involved millions and spanned much of the globe. While we follow several main characters--a Navy commander (Kenneth Branagh), a pilot (Tom Hardy), a civilian boat captain (Mark Rylance), and a young Army private (Fionn Whitehead)--the story is the event itself. And how it is visualized is our real connection. Nolan uses brilliant cinematography and production design to capture both the enormous scope of the outside locations along with the claustrophobia of cockpits and boat hulls. His reliance upon actual effects, instead of CGI, perfectly heightens the realism of what we see and intensity of what we feel. This is a film that deserves to be seen on the largest and loudest screen possible.
Nolan is often accused of focusing on spectacle and trickery more than worthwhile storytelling, and some criticism is valid. I was mostly disinterested by Inception, overwhelmed by implausibility with parts of the Batman trilogy, and mostly bored and annoyed at Interstellar. But Nolan's choices are just right here. And while some may find his methods obtrusive or pretentious, choosing cool over coherence, Dunkirk benefits from his singular style. And I definitely applaud his ability here to, uncharacteristically, keep a big film under the two-hour mark.
The lesson of Dunkirk is that "survival isn't fair." There are innocent people that perish and dishonorable people that make it out alive. But also that anyone can be a hero. We all can and should answer the call to be useful, and the image of civilian sailors forging into danger is one of the most moving scenes one will see on film.
Like the Battle of Bunker Hill or the Battle of Maldon, we speak of what happened on the beaches of Dunkirk, France, not in remembrance of victory. Rather, such conflicts are historical reminders of what value can be gleaned from defeat, how honor and bravery can shine through the darkest of times. As one soldier, feeling a failure upon returning to England, says, "All we did was survive." A grateful civilian replies, "That's enough." In war, as in life, sometimes victory comes not just from winning, but in the fighting itself. And living to inspire others is often the ultimate feat of humanity.
Grade: A+
(P.S. This is the first film on English Champion to receive an A+ rating.)