Dunkirk has been the subject of topic for the film lovers around the world ever since it was premiered in the USA a week ago. When Christopher Nolan said that he was going to make a movie about a real incident that happened during the early stages of the Second World War, his fans were in the assumption that, finally, Nolan is going to deliver a product that all could understand without giving too much of work to their brains. But no, they are dearly mistaken.
Dunkirk is told from three points of view, one on the beach with a huge gang of military slang infanteers, the 2nd being the evacuation by the Navy headed by a few civilians and the 3rd from mid air where few brave fighter pilots engage in plane combat. In fact, if you notice the poster of Dunkirk you could find, the title is divided into three segments denoting the triptych plot of air, sea and land.
Around 4 lakh allied soldiers from England, France, and a couple of other countries get surrounded by an unassailable German army on the beaches of Dunkirk during World War II. How few thousands of spirited soldiers, make their way home is all Dunkirk about. Though the story looks relatively straightforward, the treatment, however, is complicated. Maybe that is how Nolan fans want it to be.
The film does not travel in a chronological manner. As mentioned, it is a triptych plot that goes in 3 different timelines. Initially, the screenplay could be mind bending but as things get settled, you might get a clear picture and that is the beauty of Dunkirk. If you do not get hold of the concept, you might end up getting distracted mid way.
Do not expect a Saving Private Ryan or a Downfall here. This is probably the most experimental war drama ever made. It is unconventionally stunning with some masterful screenplay and incredible sound design. For splenetic Nolan fanboy types who have apparently made their minds up to watch a complicated narrative pattern, Dunkirk will be a hugely rewarding experience: rich, soulful and exciting. Once again, Nolan has silenced the doubters by simply delivering a quality film.
There is still at least one man in Hollywood who knows how to spend the given money wisely. Nolan knows how to handle his resources, where to use CGI and where not to. As much as sixty ships were destroyed and over thousands of junior artists were employed while shooting; that is how rigid Nolan has been, to put forth his thoughts onto the screen. The amount of detailing that has gone into this is impeccable.
Dunkirk is not simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that. It's a technical breakthrough. It contains such visual and conceptual detailing that it would reward repeated viewings. At places, you might expect a scene to be conceived in a particular manner. For example, you think, why was a missile hitting an aircraft scene shot in a simple, not so fuzzy style, but moments later, Nolan surprises you with something more interesting when you don’t expect and that’s how he distances himself from the rest.
Dunkirk merely talks nothing more than how a terrified group of people trying to reach home. So it is necessary to showcase the emotions of people and you need to do that less dramatically to make it real, and that is where some great acting comes to play. Minute human moments make the whole experience so overwhelming.
What arrests you from start to finish is the background score by Hans Zimmer, he literally makes you feel that you are sitting and watching a ticking bomb. Few shots looked repetitive which can be overlooked because of the brilliance in the screenplay overall.