Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan's back, but he didn't make me too happy this time. To pick a war movie and make it PG-13 is a big mistake for me. After the carnage of Hacksaw Ridge this is very restrained and clean, I missed the filth, the dismembered bodies, the screaming and the guts, instead we get ticking clocks, ships and fighter planes. It bothered me that there is no main character or villain, which is a crucial thing for me, something that no film should miss. Emotionally it left me absolutely cold. But I don’t want only to criticize, I must praise the great audiovisual aspect, the fighter raids had their charm, Tom Hardy was excellent, Hans Zimmer's music nicely supported the atmosphere and the shots of the open sea and sunken ships were nice. On the plus side, the pace is fast, you don't have to wait long for things to happen, but there was a notable scene missing that I would like to watch again in the future. I got it about half and half, I won't be rushing into another screening.70% (26/07/2017)

Count on Dunkirk being the kind of war movie you’ve never seen. For example, out of the total 106 minutes of footage, 106 are accompanied by Hans Zimmer’s music, which not only intrigues with its melodies or strong motives, but it can also get the blood going with its incredible suspense that doesn’t stop, not when you’re watching the credits.  I have never seen the music and visuals to be this well-connected and I must say that even if it’s not Nolan’s best film, it’s still an experience I won’t forget. Also, I mustn’t forget to appreciate the fact that the director has conveyed the movie as the stories of ordinary, but also extraordinary people. Every single character has its purpose and even if Tom Hardy, for example, might not say much, the ending will convince you that his acting was unequivocal. I also liked the roles of Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and especially Harry Styles, who has stunned me with his acting performance. And I’ll admit that I was shocked when I found that he’s actually a One Direction singer. It must take some balls for a world-renowned director to cast a young boy who is known as a member of an annoying boyband and he might know how to sing but has no acting experience. But Christopher Nolan obviously has the balls to do that and I have to say that it’s a joy to live in a time of such great movies. (11/08/2017)

Nolan cannot be denied that he did not just shoot another war film according to a proven scheme. In many ways, it is in line with old-school war films, which are no longer made today, just in the form in which they were never made. Following the example of Greengrass's United 93, in view of The Dunkirk evacuation, he got rid of all political background, expressed no opinion, did not mirror anything. He was not interested in other parties of the conflict, sidelined characters, dialogs and story, and focused on a single aspect; the feelings of those thousands people who were evacuated, those soldiers who where cut off from their homeland. The movie strictly follows (except for the elaborate structure of the narrative and the form, which can be fully enjoyed only during the subsequent screening) the concept of "beach/week-water/day-air/hour" with an unseen enemy and thus fully mediates the feelings of pilots enclosed in a cramped, deafening cockpit, while German fighters circling around, panicked drowning boys in the billowing night waves and soldiers on land who don't know if they'll get their turn during the evacuation or will be left at the mercy of the advancing German army. This is by far the greatest strength of the film. The cast couldn't have been better, because even if Branagh doesn't move from the pier, Hardy from the cockpit or Rylance from the helm, they are so convincing and charismatic that simply could not be any better. At the same time, they play everything purely with their eyes or imperceptible gestures (and in the case of Caine, using purely intonation). Thanks to the symbiosis of Nolan/Zimmer/Smith, the result is undeniably captivating, chilling, nerve-wracking as well as intense and earthy production (the difference from the best CGI is simply tangible, that´s for sure) and a technically refined masterpiece like no other far and wide. But… But at the same time, Zimmer's phenomenal addition of sound (not really a music background) is overused so that the whole footage rumbles and ticks. It´s non-stop. I repeat, non-stop. Do you get that? Non-stop! Neither a second of silence, nor a second without the highest possible intensity of pumping creaking, while the "calm" sequences on the ship would obviously call for quiet moments. However, it is still a "Dunkirk miracle", because everyone in the seventy-millimeter Imax took the bait and myself breathed exclusively in the rhythm given by Nolan. (21/07/2017)

This badly edited depiction of the hellishness of war is packed with great shots and a retro atmosphere that is nicely enhanced by celluloid impurities in the picture and the absence of ostentatiously digital elements. The tension in the film (even in scenes that don’t need it) is created only by its soundtrack. But after the end of the movie, I was glad to enjoy some precious silence. (19/07/2017)

The architecture of time and space prevents Dunkirk from looking like a malnourished drama with fleeting characters that again perform more assigned narrative functions (such as Branagh's sculptural explanation), rather than embody some deeper thoughts. In the end, Dunkirk, with all its efforts to achieve objectivity, cannot avoid pathetic words and premature dramatic abbreviations. It’s been a long time since the war has had such a booming and creaking physical element. Unfortunately, the demolished drums are the only thing I carry with me the day after. For me, it’s more of a noble imitation that has to fire on all cylinders to cover the inner emptiness and lack of nuances. The greater the ambition Nolan has in working with a storytelling perspective, the more doubtful the results. The modest, but psychologically and narratively incredibly functional and agile film The Prestige remains an unattainable goal. Dunkirk is a flashy creative maneuver that creates a big wave around itself. However, it does not reach the depths. (26/07/2017)