REVIEW: DUNKIRK is Genuinely Gripping

When telling a historical account, there’s always need of accuracy, detail is synonymous to challenge: costumes, characterization of personalities, narrative and such since it’s an immersion on the audience’ part. But for Dunkirk, to be honest, I’m not entirely familiar with the account except for it’s one of the most significant events during World War 2.

A courageous, impossible task of the Allied forces’ evacuation from the enemy lines, their limits. While it’s simply an evacuation, a fight to the death situation. Christopher Nolan retakes in another unimaginable level, rather than a dramatization, he takes the audience to that moment, the grit of the Allied forces, nurses and the men who makes the decisions and give us the feeling of that tension, dilemma and that burden and agony but how does all of these things work? Film.

The technical side of filmmaking evokes a nuance; the Hoyte Van Hoytema’s cinematography perfectly captured different shades of blue from the three perspectives of the evactuation: shores of Dunkirk, the seas and up to the sky. The IMAX 65mm brings out that massive scale these locations and immerses you to the tense feel of what was it like to be in that moment with those soldiers running for their lives or pilot and the rescue boats.

Sound delivers that emotion and that’s the key that makes that urgency worked. The sound clunky, loud sound mix becomes its score, the explosions, the roaring RAF gunfire and torpedo, ships clashing and the clock ticking, these sounds turned in its own symphony, the latter may be subtly played throughout but leaves a big impact that will leave the audiences on the edge of their seats.

Christopher Nolan’s storytelling approach surprisingly simplistic and straightforward this time around unlike his previous films where there are long, philosophical, emotional monologues towards the end. The three perspectives were so beautifully done, compact and each of these sequences bring out a broader perspective of that particular event.

The RAF spitfire sequences stood out, it’s breathtaking, calm and calculated. These were beautifully written simply the fact that Nolan brings out that the real tension and gives them a sense of importance and responsibility of ensuring the evacuation’s safety.

Tom Hardy’s Farrier, whose face is covered with pilot mask for the most part of the film brings out the fighter within and a presence. Auneurin Barnard’s Gibson for the standout among the cast, with little lines given, he performs and communicates in wearied gestures and movements, his eyes expresses a terrified uncertainty to it, the scene where he buries another soldier is an example of effortless, understated acting.

For a runtime of 106 minutes, no minute, second was wasted, Dunkirk is a real war film and at the same time, every aspect of filmmaking reinvented the way of storytelling in the medium and this will inspire filmmakers and other genre movies in the coming years.

Dunkirk is now showing cinemas and in IMAX. Special Thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures Ph for the invite!