The evacuation of allied soldiers from the city of Dunkirk,
France while the German army surrounded them during the Battle of France in
World War 11 is put on film here by the man who kick-started the acclaimed ‘Batman’
movie series, Christopher Nolan.
Nolan produced, directed and wrote
this cinematic depiction of the ‘Dunkirk’ battle. It is told at times in documentary style, but
there is non-stop drama, and some of the best cinematography ever shown on
screen. After one viewing of ‘Dunkirk’
it seems that there is little against the feature film.
Three actors stand out, one of them
surprisingly so. Kenneth Branagh and
Cillian Murphy playing a Commander and a shell-shocked solder respectively, are
excellent as always. Branagh has few
scenes, but his camera close-ups show an actor who lives the part he plays. Murphy
also shows the fear and anger of his character very vividly. A surprisingly good performance from One
Direction singer, Harry Styles takes place well into the film, where he
portrays an angry young soldier in a basement scene. Tom Hardy also acts himself well, but ‘Dunkirk’
is not an actors film, and it’s unlikely there will be such awards next year at
the different award ceremonies.
However the great cinematography of the beaches of Dunkirk is the real star.
Also the direction of Christopher Nolan deserves a mention, writes David Flynn because he expertly directs/controls
scores of men through the rescue scenes for the one hour and forty five minute
movie.
There is tension throughout, and death
and destruction as would be the norm in all wars, but there is no needless
Hollywood type violence in this movie.
‘Dunkirk’ should not be missed, and a second or
third viewing wouldn’t go astray.
Prediction for Awards: Christopher
Nolan for Best Director, and the movie will also get nods for Best Picture and
Best Cinematography .
