First Take: Dunkirk- survival is victory

Spoiler free as usual. Because one does simply not ruin a new Nolan film.

SYPNOSIS: Allied soldiers from Belgium, the British Empire and France are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce battle in World War II.

Christopher Nolan has carved a very rare reputation within the industry over the last 20 years- from humble beginnings with Following and Memento, to his pioneering work on The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar and lest we forget 2010’s Inception (a film I literally know inside and out), he’s pretty much made everything. Except a war film. And now he’s actually gone and done it. Ladies and gentlemen, this could very well be the film where he finally wins that elusive Oscar.

Nolan plays to his strengths with this one, directing the film with the same style and flair that we’ve all come to expect- big, wide setpieces with emphasis on practical effects over CGI, and shooting the whole thing on good old 65mm film (with selected scenes in IMAX), this has all the trademarks of quality. Nolan’s script, while lacking in dialogue, also has that same flair, as everything is tightly paced, eventually building to a very abrupt conclusion at just 1 hour 46 minutes- his shortest running time since his first film back in 1998. The technical talent is great too- Nolan’s long time collaborator Hans Zimmer provides the score, and once again, it’s a back to basics formula for each of the 3 themes to represent air, land and sea. The real star though is the cinematography from Hoyte van Hoytema, as some of the shots in this film had me stunned. Utilising the 2:20.1 aspect ratio to its fullest, whether you are seeing it in 70mm, 35mm or the 4K digital print that the majority of cinemas will use, this is filmmaking at its finest.

Performance wise, this really is an ensemble piece. The big names take supporting roles, and with a cast including Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Cillian Murphy, many audiences will see this film for them - but at the same time, they’re going to be introduced to some incredible new talent. The standouts include Fionn Whitehead (making his cinematic debut), Aneurin Barnard, Tom Glynn-Carney and surprisingly, Harry Styles. Either way, this film is bursting with great performances, so if you’re a Nolan fan or a Directioner, you are all in for a treat.

THE VERDICT

Once again, Christopher Nolan has proved why he is one of the best directors working in Hollywood today- mining some great work out of his cast, and making a very niche story universal, Dunkirk deserves to be seen big and loud- and to share the mentality of the man himself, try and see this film in 70mm IMAX. That’s how it is meant to be seen.

RATING: 5/5