There are plenty of good movies being made these days, great films; strong stories. But it's few and far between that something comes along that knocks the wind out of you - that's both steeped in the craft of classic filmmaking, but that also feels fresh and immersive and new. A release that's not just a movie - but that reminds you that Cinema still exists. With Dunkirk, director Christopher Nolan not only does all that, he's made his strongest film to date, and delivered what's more than likely to be the best motion picture of the year.
I'm lucky enough to live near one of the few theaters that's showing Dunkirk on actual 70mm film, and like Hateful Eight a couple of years back, seeing it with an audience on a massive screen is a rare experience indeed. Christopher Nolan's a purist, in this case foregoing digital for actual large format film, and sharpness of the resolution and depth is just overwhelming - probably the best word to use to describe what Dunkirk feels like.
Based on the actual events of May 1940, when over 300,000 Allied soldiers were cut-off and trapped on all sides by the German army. It could have been one of the worst bloodbaths in history. It's a situation that's almost a reversal of the typical war movie dynamic. There's no objective for the soldiers - no bridge to be captured or siege to perform. The objective here is to somehow just avoid being killed - by some miracle, to just survive.
Nolan depicts three different overlapping storylines, each with its own timeline. On land, Fionn Whitehead is one of several young soldiers trying to figure out how to avoid death. At sea, Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) is one of the hundreds of civilian British boat captains who cross the Channel in an effort to help bring home their stranded countrymen. In the air, Tom Hardy is a Spitfire pilot who's low on gas amidst a sky that's full of enemies. All the while the propulsive score by Hans Zimmer keeps escalating, the steady tick-tick-tick tempo getting into our bloodstream, taking us from anxiety to all-out dread.
Dunkirk is an epic, but it's lean and efficient, clocking in at just 106 minutes. Thanks to the large-frame format, the near documentary feel at times, the use of sound and editing, it's one of the most immersive film experiences I can recall. Nolan avoids digital effects in favor of the real thing. Actual Spitfire aircraft flying over the English Channel. Actual ships. You feel like you're right there in that cockpit with Hardy, shuddering and hanging on while you're trying to down another plane. There are some simply staggering set pieces in Dunkirk that I'm dying to learn how they achieved. They don't look or feel even remotely like special effects, but I mean, they must be...? Nolan and his Interstellar cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema plunge their cameras right into the middle of every scene.
The cast is fantastic, all delivering performances that emphasize immediacy and emotion over grandstanding. Mark Rylance is a wonder here, as is Tom Hardy - you almost feel like you're watching Spencer Tracy and Steve McQueen in a film co-directed by David Lean and Stanley Kubrick. Kudos also to Kenneth Branagh, as the Naval officer trying to hold the coast together and save as many lives as possible, against crushingly overwhelming odds.
If you see one picture in a theater this year, make no mistake, this is mandatory. Seek out the largest screen you can find (and 70mm if at all possible), and see one of the great war films of all time. Dunkirk is an absolute classic, and will restore your faith that they truly do make them like they used to - and then some. An incredible achievement on every level.
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