Dunkirk
Dunkirk is a World War II era action drama about the Allied soldiers who were trying to evacuate Europe as the enemy closed in on them. The film was shot in England, France, Netherlands, and The U.S. and is written and directed by Oscar nominated Christopher Nolan who is known for making the Dark Knight trilogy (2005-2012 starring Christian Bale). See this film in IMAX as Nolan loves to film with it, as 70% of Dunkirk was shot in IMAX, and it was released in 125 70MM theatres, more than the 100 The Hateful Eight opened to in 2015. Action pieces looked massive in scale, the film puts you on the beach, in the planes, and in harms way. Listening to this film was challenging as it is a war time film (with plenty of explosions, engines, and gunfire), Hans Zimmer composed (the musical score was overpowering and distracting), and it featured many European actors with thick accents (such as Tom Hardy). It was also tricky to keep track of which dark haired, white skinned, soldier you were following, and with the sound effects clashing with the music, the film was able to portray the franticness of the true event. There was not much for dialogue, as Nolan leaned towards a more visual film, his first based on actual events. At the end I feel I had not blinked in the 1 hour 46 minute feature as it was exciting throughout, with barely a moment to collect your thoughts.
2017, PG, 1h 46m
Distributor – Warner Bros.
Budget – $100 million
Cast & Crew
Writer and director Christopher Nolan last made the sci-fi adventure film Interstellar in 2014 with Matthew McConaughey and is now remaking his 2000 mystery film Memento (the original starred Guy Pearce in an inventive film). It stars Fionn Whitehead, whose only other acting credit is a 3 episode mini series Him (2016 fantasy drama) will next be seen in the drama about religion and medical treatment The Children Act. Damien Bonnard was last in the French language Based on a True Story (2017 comedy mystery directed by Roman Polanski) and will next be seen in 9 doigts (a drama made in France). Aneurin Barnard last played Mozart in the drama Interlude in Prague (with James Purefoy) and will next be seen in the ageing assassin comedy Dead in a Week: Or Your Money Back with Tom Wilkinson. Harry Styles (One Direction) also makes his cinematic debut, along with solid roles by the more seasoned actors Tom Hardy (The Revenant, 2015), Mark Rylance (The BFG, 2016), Cillian Murphy (Free Fire, 2016), and Kenneth Branagh (Branagh Theatre Live: The Entertainer, 2016).