Dunkirk
Christopher Nolan is a superb film maker. His Dark Knight trilogy transformed super hero films and frankly blockbuster films as a whole. The Dark Knight is a tiny bit over rated and The Dark Knight Rises is a bit under rated but whatever. Inception is awesome. I love The Prestige. His early work is gripping and Interstellar is enthralling if baffling. His films always appear to be crafted by intelligent people at the top of their game and they don't assume the audience is all stupid as so many films do now. I also love that he has tried lots of different styles of film. I'm a big fan of James Bond and if, as rumoured, he directs the first film after Daniel Craig leaves I will be excited beyond measure.
So that's all his films reviewed apart from the one I've just seen.
Dunkirk is an extraordinary film. Minimal dialogue. No actual plot or specific heroes as such. Just... here's what it was like at Dunkirk. It was loud, terrifying, sometimes claustrophobic, lethal and bewildering. And through it all, there was bravery and solid determination to either get home or help others get home. It's pretty much as close to the real thing as I can imagine we will ever see. The cast are uniformly excellent and yes that includes Harry Styles. The sound effects are stunning. The film grips you from end to end.
Was it entertaining? No but then I'm not sure it was supposed to be. It was engrossing, powerful, moving, and at times unbearable.
And a triumph.
5/5
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