Dunkirk (2017)
Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark RylanceRuntime: 106 minutes
Synopsis: Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire, and France are surrounded by the German Army, and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.
Performances: 7/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Editing: 8/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10
Verdict: "Dunkirk" is not a conventional war movie. Aside from being impressive from a technical level as you'd expect from a Christopher Nolan project, it sets itself apart from other films in the same genre by choosing to focus on an entirely different enemy: Time. Based on a real operation that occurred during the Second World War, the movie is told through a non-linear structure that follows three storylines, each taking place during a different amount of time. This choice, alongside Hans Zimmer's mesmerizing score that features a ticking clock suggesting a sensation of urgency, highlights the idea that a week feels like an hour, and an hour feels like a week in times of war. Time either slows down or accelerates depending on the situation, but always acts as an enemy to either the British soldiers trapped in the city of Dunkirk, the sailors on their way to rescue them, or the air force pilots clearing the skies from German enemies.
The movie, which won 3 Oscars including a very deserving one for its editing work, does, however, suffer from two main continuous issues that lessened the overall experience for me. The PG-13 rating, one that in my opinion should never be adopted when telling a story set in times of war, was off-putting, to say the least. War is ugly and should be depicted that way. The lack of blood and profanities only reminded us that behind this great movie was a studio looking to make as much profit as possible. Nolan also shoots himself in the foot with a bunch of awkward and cheesy lines or events that really felt out of place in a film like this one.
Nevertheless, I still believe that "Dunkirk" is one of the best and most unique war movies to come out in the 21st century. It's grand, epic, and original. In other words exactly what you'd expect from a filmmaker like Christopher Nolan.
The movie, which won 3 Oscars including a very deserving one for its editing work, does, however, suffer from two main continuous issues that lessened the overall experience for me. The PG-13 rating, one that in my opinion should never be adopted when telling a story set in times of war, was off-putting, to say the least. War is ugly and should be depicted that way. The lack of blood and profanities only reminded us that behind this great movie was a studio looking to make as much profit as possible. Nolan also shoots himself in the foot with a bunch of awkward and cheesy lines or events that really felt out of place in a film like this one.
Nevertheless, I still believe that "Dunkirk" is one of the best and most unique war movies to come out in the 21st century. It's grand, epic, and original. In other words exactly what you'd expect from a filmmaker like Christopher Nolan.
FINAL GRADE: 7/10
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