Director Christopher Nolan has been gaining a phenomenal reputation in Hollywood. With Dunkirk, Nolan sets his sights on World War II and telling the story of the people who were there during the fateful period.
The story of Dunkirk deals with the British, French and Belgian troops being surrounded by German soldiers. Casualties were mounting as the Allied forces tried mightily to withdraw their forces. They attempted to fend off the ground troops advancing on them and the air attack devastating some of the destroyers trying to evacuate the men. As the attack continued to take its toll, the military enlisted the help of civilian boats nearby. They would be able to get to the men, and although the number of passengers each boat could hold was smaller than a destroyer, they could get to more accessible locations and stay safer against the air forces.
The story Nolan tells focuses on three intersecting timelines: a week on land, a day at sea and an hour in the air, all woven together into a skillful narrative. We meet Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) as he works to get to the front of the line of ground troops evacuating at the shore. We go onboard a boat with Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) as he travels across the sea in his small craft intent on saving anyone he can. We head to the air with Farrier (Tom Hardy) as he leads a squadron into battle fighting the enemy and his own equipment. Everyone has a job, and everyone is needed. But can they succeed? And just how many men will survive?
The cast Nolan works with here is perfect. With accomplished actors like Rylance, Hardy and Cillian Murphy performing alongside newcomers like Whitehead and Harry Styles, the film allows everyone to play their role without someone needing to be the star. It’s a true ensemble cast who must all be on point to succeed, and they do.
Very few war movies have put the viewer in the middle of the action without a love story or Hollywood ending in the mix. Dunkirk, however, does, and allows us to feel what war must have felt like, without superfluous embellishments.
If there is any concern with this film, it is that some dialogue gets lost in the sound. That said, it reflects the reality of battle, as we wouldn’t catch every word clean; instead, the madness occurring around us would occasionally make only every third word audible. I didn’t mind at all.
This is an intense film that may be too much for some to take. But if you have never been to war, never been in the middle of the action, you will be moved by Dunkirk. The total immersion that takes place makes for a memorable film, one I won’t soon forget.
Dunkirk is available On Demand beginning Dec. 19. Check your cable system for availability.
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