Dunkirk

Starring: Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, Mark Rylance, James D'Arcy, Cillian Murphy, Harry Styles, Michael Caine (voice)
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Drama, War
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A mass evacuation of stranded soldiers takes place on the beaches of Dunkirk.

Review:

Tim: Christopher Nolan has directed so many great movies at this point (6 by my count) that any film he does is a must-see. I was interested in seeing what he did with Dunkirk, a very different movie than we're used to seeing from him. I was intrigued to see what he'd do with this World War II movie. I like the idea of Nolan changing it up. That being said, the results aren't exactly what I expected. On the one hand, Nolan delivers an exceptionally well crafted movie. Technically, the film is impressive. It won three Academy Awards- Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. The movie certainly deserved those awards. It's an exceptionally well made movie from a technical standpoint. And yet, I wouldn't call this a great movie.

Now, the thing I loved the most with what Nolan did was he told this story of the evacuation from Dunkirk from multiple perspectives, taking place at multiple time frames. This was the brilliant touch Nolan brought. It took me a long time to piece together the different timelines. So, you're watching a film that's taking place at different moments, from different perspectives. It gives the story this added layer of complexity. One of the most entertaining aspects of the film was trying to figure out what storyline took place first, second, third. That was a legitimately exciting endeavor. You could argue that it was a but unnecessary, but it certainly made the movie unique. I thoroughly enjoyed that aspect of it.

On the downside, it felt like Nolan was very interested in telling multiple stories that weaved together, would give you a big picture view of what happened at Dunkirk. That sounds amazing, so where's the downside? The problem here is that the characters get stretched too thin. We don't really get to identify with any character or group of characters enough to really feel for them. We see the soldiers trying to get off the beach, but they're moving around so much, we don't actually get to develop a deep appreciation for them. They go from one crazy situation to the next, but I never cared about any of them. I was interested in why the one soldier never seemed to talk, but I didn't have an emotional connection with any of those characters. We also get the aerial battle with the pilots. Those scenes were the most exciting of the film, but we don't really get to know those characters. They're flying the whole time. No emotional connection there. The closest we get is the family on the boat heading toward Dunkirk to rescue people. We actually do get to know those characters some, and we care at least a little for them. However, by telling many stories, Nolan doesn't give us a chance to identify with and really connect with most of the characters in the film. That hurts the movie greatly.

I loved seeing Tom Hardy as the fighter pilot, but I desperately wanted more time with him. Those aerial scenes were some of the best of the film, but I never felt a huge sense of fear for him because I didn't know him as a character. It's hard to know how good Hardy was- he's not bad, but he doesn't get to do enough. It felt like he was shortchanged. The same can be said for Kenneth Branagh and James D'Arcy. I really like both actors, but they spend most of the movie standing around. Neither really gets to do a whole lot. Mark Rylance is the luckiest of the cast, because he really gets to act and at least has interesting conversations (he's just driving a boat the whole film). He gives a strong performance. I also enjoyed seeing Cillian Murphy and he adds a lot to Rylance's story. It was funny seeing Harry Styles here- he was actually decent, although he was part of the least effective story. The cast as a whole was fine, but Nolan doesn't give them enough opportunities to really shine.

Now, I did enjoy Dunkirk. It's a really well made movie. Nolan took a story that might have been pretty simple and gave it all these cool layers- time, perspectives, as well as telling stories that take place on land, water, and in the air. While Dunkirk isn't quite a great movie, Nolan deserves credit for doing something technically difficult when he could have taken the easy way out. It's obvious why he is one of the best directors working today. If Dunkirk is one of his lesser efforts, is still a really good movie, and won 3 Academy Awards, you know the guy has serious talent.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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