Film Review: Dunkirk

I've been curious for a while about Dunkirk. The history nerd side of me was very interested to see how events on that famous beach had been portrayed, while the sensitive side of me shied away from what would surely be a graphic and heartbreaking film. Evidently curiosity won out.

I went into Dunkirk fully expecting to be emotionally traumatised, and yet surprisingly I wasn't. Nolan conveys the horror and the vast scale of events at Dunkirk, but he does it in a very matter of fact way. We are given no back story to any of the characters, barely any names, they are soldiers, few of many, and so for the most part there is less of an emotional attachment. In my opinion it's a technique that pays off - the men are all equal, they're just boys trying to get home.

Nolan's name alone attracts an all star cast, most of which are on screen for fifteen minutes each at most, yet all put in a powerful performance. Cillian Murphy is a shell shocked man plucked out of the ocean by a rescue boat, barely capable of uttering a word. Tom Hardy is a spitfire pilot, acting with his eyes through his flight helmet as the enemy begin to circle. Even Harry Styles (who I admit I was curious to see in action), puts in as good a performance as the rest of them as a scared young soldier prepared to do anything to survive.

The real star of the show though is the soundtrack. Dunkirk is hands down the most stressful film I've ever watched, and this is largely down to its score. Hans Zimmer has composed a masterpiece, a relentless ticking rhythm that will have your heart in your mouth throughout the entire thing. There is no let up in tension, and you can really feel the terror and desperation of the soldiers.

Dunkirk is a film that is designed to be seen in the cinema. The wide angle shots of the beach filled with men, of the little boats coming to their rescue, it's truly a sight to behold. Oscars surely beckon, for Hans Zimmer if no one else. Christopher Nolan does it again.