Writer: Cinnamon Lion

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Watch this if you liked: “Interstellar”, “Inception”, “Saving Private Ryan”, “The Hurt Locker”

The Good, the Bad and the heroes of Dunkirk:

War movies, especially ones supposedly based on true events and stretch for hours, can either be painfully boring or painfully unrealistic - or both. Rest assured, "Dunkirk" falls in neither category.

While there is dramatisation (this is still a movie, not a documentary) used, the main focus of the story does not stray far from the true tale that took place in May 1940 in Dunkirk, France, where allied soldiers (from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France) became stranded on the beaches in Dunkirk after being surrounded by the German army.

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan never fails in delivering beautifully crafted masterpieces, and "Dunkirk" has become yet another feather in his cap. Audiences will find themselves watching with bated breath from the moment the first gunshot is fired in the opening scene up until there is only silence and the movie finally fades to black.

Since wars are often fought simultaneously on land, on water and in the sky, Nolan made sure his audiences get a full taste of how that feels like. Audiences are no mere spectators either as point-of-view shots often reel audiences in, effectively making everyone watching feel like they are within the chaotic and intense scenes themselves.

The effectiveness of the movie no doubt is also boosted by the stellar performance of the cast. With barely any dialogues, their grim expressions deliver just what they feel about the predicament they are caught in. And yes, One Directioners rejoice, Harry Styles has proven himself to be just as good an actor as he is a singer. His character is one not easily liked, one who is desperately trying to survive and yet ashamed at the thought that he had not done much in the war except "survive", but he pulled it off, not looking miscast among the other young men cast as the soldiers.

Fionn Whitehead as the main character Tommy leads audiences on the adventure, not saying much but still moving the story forward with his actions and expressions. Mark Rylance plays his Mr Dawson character perfectly, with him audiences feel compassion, bravery, as the old man is adamant to save the soldiers in Dunkirk. Tom Glynn-Carney plays his son Peter, also a brave young man with a good head on his shoulders. Tom Hardy could barely be seen but his presence is heavily felt whenever attention is directed to the war being battled in the skies. Cillian Murphy's character doesn't even have a name but he embodies the many men who have just seen too many during war, too much pain until they are left more a shell than man. The rest of the cast too played their characters beautifully, their every pain, every joy can be felt wholeheartedly in every scene that unfolds.

Needless to say the cinematography and effects for the movie are top notch. They are exactly what one would expect from a high budget production, and more. The intense and emotionally charged movie moves at a steady pace, never rushing things so that despite its heavy subject and long runtime, audiences are able to immerse themselves and fully enjoy the movie.

Trivia:

• This is filmmaker Christopher Nolan's first war movie based on true events.
• Nolan admitted he did not know how famous Harry Styles (of One Direction fame) was when he cast the pop singer for his movie.

Cinema Online, 19 July 2017