Thursday, July 27, 2017

"Dunkirk" is a treat

I really enjoyed Dunkirk. Of course, I really enjoy Christopher Nolan's works. I can see where there are some out there who won't appreciate his style of filmmaking.

What with our education system here in the U.S. somewhat lacking over the past few decades, I'm curious to see how many in our country have no clue what Dunkirk was all about. For those not in the know, a mass evacuation occurred during WWII saving several hundred thousand soldiers trapped on the shores of France. The shining part is that they were evacuated using private boats that sailed across the English Channel. Some think it's what saved the war for the Allies.

Nolan temporally interweaves three segments of the evacuation to tell the story; however, I won't get into any more detail in order to avoid spoilers. He is quoted as saying this was an experimental film.

I saw the film in IMAX but not 70mm. I plan on experiencing 70mm next week. I really appreciated the sound of battle in the IMAX format. An interesting side note: Nolan screened the film for veterans of the evacuation, and one veteran remarked that the actual war noises weren't as loud! Nolan was amused.

There are really terrific scenes. Quite dramatic. The air battles in particular popped out for me. Tom Hardy once again performed most of his scenes behind a mask. Shades of Bane!

The acting was solid with appearances by Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branaugh, Harry Styles, and a very subtle cameo by Michael Caine (You really have to pay attention to catch him. I missed it.).

This is an important story that highlights the triumph of the human spirit. I'm really happy that Nolan chose this subject so that we may all have a permanent reminder of one of the great moments of WWII...and in human history.

No comments: