REVIEW — “Dunkirk”
Dunkirk follows one of the most harrowing journeys ever known in the history of warfare. Allied soldiers are fought down to their core. They are all petrified of the war around them. The Germans are closing in on the Allied forces slowly, making the tension on the island more profound. In the film, you follow several different people. You follow the ace pilot Farrier (Tom Hardy) patrol the skies in order to keep Dunkirk safe. Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) is a civilian who takes matters into his own hands and saves a struggling soldier (Cillian Murphy). In the arguably main plot line, you follow Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), a desperate and young soldier who tries to find a way out of the treacherous island. In his repeatedly stopped attempts, he meets Alex (Harry Styles). They try to maneuver their way around non-stop bullet fire and bombardments of bombs that plague the island of Dunkirk.
To say Dunkirk is another great addition to director Christopher Nolan’s filmography is an understatement. Dunkirk is easily one of the best directed, best shot, best acted, and best-constructed films of the year. Nolan’s direction is in peak form into his 10th flick. The cinematography is truly breathtaking. Shots made to introduce tension and fear become gorgeous frames of panic. The magnificence of the backgrounds and locations are amplified to make Dunkirk one of the most beautifully shot films ever. The ever-building score really makes the film what it is. The score is relentless throughout the film, it compiles and compliments in every scene you can hear it in. Nolan’s use of minimal dialogue really pays off as it really lets the action speak for itself, making it feel like its own character. The well-crafted tension you feel throughout the film is all due to Nolan. His tremendous script (which he wrote without his usual writing partner and brother Jonathan Nolan) is there to cut up and showcase these events as truthfully and cinematically as possible. Making Dunkirk not only one of the most entertaining movies of the year, but also one of the best movies of the year.
As much as Dunkirk is not a performance piece, the acting is still superb. The young talent, Fionn Whitehead and Harry Styles, perform incredibly for novice actors. The boys do a very good job of subtly adding to the panic that the audience is feeling. Also, I must say, I was very interested in seeing how Harry Styles would do. And guys, the former One Direction member does a great job. The other stars like Rylance, Hardy, Branagh, and Murphy do a terrific job as always. Each character is granted their own storyline, and it’s up to the actor to deliver. And boy do they deliver. I must say though that probably my only complaint with the film is the accents are very hard to understand in some parts of the film. I feel like I missed important plot points in some parts of the film simply because I couldn’t understand them. I’m only saying this to be nitpicky and to let the masses know to keep a sharp ear out for the dialogue when you watch Dunkirk because you don’t wanna miss a thing.
Folks, you do not want to miss Dunkirk. You truly get your money’s worth if you see it in theaters. I had the pleasure of seeing it in IMAX, and I’ve heard nothing but praise for the 75 and 35 mm versions as well. I really recommend that you see it one of these formats, but what’s most important is that you see the movie in theaters before you miss the chance. Dunkirk is truly a cinematic spectacle that will never stop impressing you, this has to be the next film you see. 5/5
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