Dunkirk - Movie Review

Dunkirk

Review by Ryan Davidson

Score: 9.75/10

Christopher Nolan does it again. Dunkirk is the story of the evacuation of allied troops in Dunkirk, France as Nazi forces push closer and closer. This film is gorgeously directed, from the often little dialogue, to the incredible sound design. Hans Zimmer turns in another incredible score, using minimalistic tracks and often incorporating sounds of war into the music. I'm going to keep gushing about the sound design, because it's spectacular. Never before have I been so frightened by the sound of a war plane dive-bombing a beach; it's incredible. Something that really stood out to me is just how effectively Nolan portrays the horrific nature of war with only a PG-13 rating. He can't rely on bloody corpses and bodies exploding everywhere to capture the atrocities of war, instead he uses superb sound design as well as great directing techniques to do this. The acting is incredible as well, although the character development is lacking quite a bit. That's the biggest problem with the film, and it's going to weigh differently with each individual who sees it, but for me, the film was focused on the event itself and not the individuals it was following. I really loved this movie, and I will personally hold it up there with the great war films like Saving Private Ryan. If you're a fan of Nolan or just well crafted films in general, then this is a must-see.