Dunkirk (2017)

User Review

• 

  buffed_film_buff

  9 / 10

  
  My #2 anticipated film for this summer has finally arrived, and although I'm not the first to review it, I'm certainly not the last. Nolan never seizes to impress me, and this film is no different. An intense and unique look at World War II, Dunkirk captures the essence of dread while still managing to keep hope alive. It follows several different stories of men, some fighting for their lives and others saving soldiers in perilous situations. A theme frequently emphasized is, "if we don't fight, there will be no home," as a call to the cowards who choose to save their own skin. The cinematography and production design is stunning (I know I say this for a lot of Nolan films, but it's true) and Hans Zimmer makes sound his bitch in this movie. The increasing and decreasing of volume and the tenacious tic toc of the stopwatch lurks behind all these men in this tenuous time. Thank you for your existence, Zimmer. The acting was solid but not the standout, although Harry Styles was actually really good and that tripped me up a little bit. Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, and several other younger newbie actors (beautiful British men) balanced this excellent cast out. This IS the best war film I've ever seen as of now, but that's not saying a lot as I have seen very few. It's tone is right on the dot and every calm before the storm unnerves you. It's jumpy with storylines but the editing is so well done you barely notice. What surprised me the most is how the people I was watching it with did NOT really like this film, and didn't think it had rewatchability, which I strongly disagree with. I'd love to watch it again, mostly because my one flaw with the film was that I couldn't understand what some of the characters were saying at certain points in the movie due to the intensity of the action. If it was up to me I'd say this film would even benefit from less talking- already a quiet film in itself. Still, an excellent film and hopefully a major academy contender for 2018 awards season. (I'm also the first one to review this on FilmFed, which feels awesome. )

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