Dunkirk (2017)

Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Barry Keoghan, Mark Rylance

Synopsis:
A desperate effort is made to evacuate the overwhelmed British troops in France during the early days of World War II.

Impressions:
I'm sure many people were curious to see how Christopher Nolan would tackle a war movie and I'll admit that I was intrigued that he would pick an episode like the Dunkirk evacuation. Somewhat in the vein of films like The Longest Day and A Bridge Too Far, the story is strung together from several plotlines, so you can't really say there's any single main character. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but personally I felt somewhat disconnected because I never felt that strongly invested in one plotline or another. The movie's well-made, to be sure, but I think it might have been stronger narratively if we picked one plotline and focused on it even at the expense of the larger picture. (However, aesthetically I can appreciate the "sea, air and land" theme.) I will give Nolan credit for not making the misstep of Pearl Harbor of giving a "counterattack" third act to end on the high point, such as ending the film on the invasion of Juno Beach. (Although it doesn't take much to say Christopher Nolan has more artistic integrity than Michael Bay.) As for the score by Hans Zimmer, it's often discordant, which is hard on the ears but thematically appropriate, I suppose. WWII buffs in particular are sure to like this film and it's definitely worth giving a watch.

Rating:
Watch It