Dunkirk — Film Review
Christopher Nolan has developed a reputation as a continually ambitious and clever film-maker. His back-catalogue has played with the conventions of narrative (Memento), deconstructed film itself (The Prestige) and tackled challenging cinematic subjects such as the nature of reality (Inception) and the time-space continuum (Interstellar) with mixed results.
With Dunkirk, Nolan brings his unique sensibility to a true story of war and survival, and the results are equally stunning and ambitious.
Beyond the incredible cinematography and film-making craft on display the most striking thing about Dunkirk is its unique structure. Rather than following a linear narrative, the film cuts between three perspectives; land, sea and air. While the action cuts between these viewpoints the timelines can at times get a little confused, (an evacuation taking place at night cuts back to a dogfight in broad daylight for instance) which can distract from the film itself, at least on first viewing. As with most of Nolan’s films, Dunkirk demands repeat viewing and I’m sure on further thought these stylistic choices will become more clear.
Individually however each element of the story is played out perfectly. While a group of young soldiers battle to get home, a squad of Spitfire pilots desperately provide air-deference and a civilian father and son sail their small yacht across the channel to help in anyway they can.
Each thread is played with subtlety and pathos by the ensemble cast. There are no showy, oscar-bait performances in Dunkirk. Instead the cast deliver understated and powerful depictions of real men in real situations. For almost all his screen time, Tom Hardy (easily the biggest star in the film) is hidden behind a flight mask. It is a testament to his skill that with only his eyes he is able to communicate the indecision and internal conflict within his character.
Likewise, veteran actors Mark Rylance and Kenneth Branagh exude British fortitude with their stiff-upper lip attitude tinged with underlying emotion and empathy for the young men in harms way.
To say Dunkirk is light on action is a disservice, however in terms of battles this is no Saving Private Ryan. Instead Nolan depicts the constant threat to the British forces as an existential horror. The German forces are almost an element to be overcome like fire or the sea rather than an enemy with a set of goals and motivations. This approach* is incredibly effective and certainly succeeds in putting the audience in the position of the soldiers as the terrifying sound of the Luftwaffe dive bombers rises to meet the defenseless British ground forces.
On first viewing the sense of desperation and dread is only undermined by the films structure. As a tense scene on the beach inter-cuts with a claustrophobic standoff on the sea, you find yourself wondering, ‘hang on, was this the day before? or is this all happening at the same time?’. Ideally you should be so engrossed in the drama of the situations that questions like this shouldn’t matter too much. By cutting in-between though, Nolan sometimes denies scenes the opportunity to play out.
Towards the films climax however, the three threads are brought together in a breathtaking crescendo which makes all the narrative trickery worthwhile.
As with his previous film (Interstellar), the director has shown that his own ambition can sometimes be a hindrance. However each element of Dunkirk does a stunning job of recreating an amazing true story and the experiences of those involved. No doubt it will be a film that will be discussed and re-watched just as much as Nolan’s fictional works. If that demand for repeat viewings is his greatest trick, then the film maker has succeeded in bringing a little known military miracle to the public consciousness, not just for a few weeks during the summer blockbuster season, but for years to come.
*While showing the Germans as these faceless machines of war is effective, it does fall into the age old trap that war movies struggle to escape — demonizing the enemy. In all likelihood the soldiers on the other side of the conflict were also young men called up to serve their country and give their lives for someone else’s political beliefs. This isn’t a problem with Dunkirk specifically but more of a wider societal issue where cinema continues to reflect the old saying that ‘history is written by the victors’. While films such as Dunkirk and last years’ Hacksaw Ridge tell true stories of extraordinary heroism from the British and American sides of the war, any similar stories from the opposite side of the conflict seem to have been lost to history.
