Pursue Your Passion

Dunkirk: Movie Review

Ronin Komarnisky, Staff Writer|August 10, 2017

In this mists of chaos, desperation, and death, what more can a person do other than endure and survive? In May of 1940, German forces surrounded and entrapped Allied armies near the sea of Dunkirk, France.Operation Dynamo, a plan to evacuate the Allied armies from Dunkirk, was later implemented. However, due to a shortage of ships, the British Admiralty issued a request for any British citizen who owned a sea vessel to help in the evacuation. The evacuation lasted for nine days, and with the contribution of the civilian sea vessels and the defense of the Royal Air Force, around 330,000 lives were saved. [1]

Christopher Nolan’s unique rendition of Dunkirk is quite an experience. Instead of following one single narrative, the film takes on three different, yet equally important, perspectives during the evacuation of Dunkirk. The varied viewpoints showcase the important contributions and struggles experienced by those at sea, land, and air.

The story of Dunkirk was definitely one better told through action more so than words. With such little dialogue, the emotions and perspectives of the characters were successfully conveyed through the strong performances of the cast members. Tom Hardy’s performance is especially commendable considering the actor was confined to one area with little room to move. The performance of Harry Styles’s, who was selected by Nolan for his talent rather than his fame, was also decent. [2] Just like many of the other actors, Styles was capable of conveying the tension and pressure the British soldiers were under. Through the powerful emotions expressed the actors and the simple, yet detailed imagery made it possible for the film to keep its audience invested.

While the film does well in terms of performances and action sequences, the fact that there is little dialogue and no single narrative may be appealing for some people. Nonetheless, Dunkirk was an exceptional movie. It did a great job in keeping its audience interested and in capturing the perspective of various roles included in the evacuation of Dunkirk. A solid four out of five stars.