Rating: 3/5
Based on a historical event during WWII, Dunkirk is a technical exercise in narrative construction in which three perspectives occupy different lengths of time — one week of land, one day of sea, and one hour of air — and meet each other in their passing
Incidentally, humans are participants during the events, some named, and disasters befall them. If any political or tactical motive is at play, they are intentionally withheld or dismissed, lest the war move gets bogged down with politics. The pawns move across the screen, some are killed, and others survive — ants marching
For long swaths of the movie, nothing, in particular, happens to people onscreen other than migration from one historical point to another. To make up for this, Hans Zimmer joined Nolan in high concept by utilizing Risset rhythms to create the illusion of a constantly increasing tempo
The color grading is a specific blue that remains noticeable and distracting throughout, relenting only when night and indoor scenes allow it. The cinematography is notably less spartan than in previous Nolan attempts, perhaps by the technical requirement of having so many characters onscreen. While the moments at sea had some tensions, the scenes from the sky are so vacant that practically every plane crash feels flat and meaningless
The movie does not consider the emotional weight of what’s onscreen, so when characters have change-of-hearts or begin to cry, it seems to erupt from nowhere — a signal for the audience unmotivated by a stimulus. Harry Styles is an absolute train wreck in this, and
One thing is certain: this is a technical marvel. The tight script and coordination of action are precise, and the moments in which the stories overlap bring you to attention. The in-camera explosions are big, the planes are in the sky, no filmmaking choice is left to chance or lacks intent
Stray Thoughts
- The shot with all the soldiers ducking in a wave is cool
- Harry Style, huh?