Dunkirk is both Harry Style’s acting debut and arguably Christopher Nolan’s best film – and a real contender for the Oscars
Dunkirk
(12A)
106 mins
EVERY director fancies tackling a war epic at one point in their career – but not many can pull it off.
Christopher Nolan’s take on the evacuation of Dunkirk is extremely good. It’s not quite a classic but it certainly has a go at it.
The problem faced by makers of these sprawling stories that impacted the whole planet and touched millions of people is: How do you make that relatable?
How do you encompass all that terror, horror and bravery in just a few hours?
Saving Private Ryan stuck with one small group of men, The Deer Hunter began with war’s aftermath and Apocalypse Now spoke about the utter madness of the act.
Nolan condenses the evacuation of 300,000 soldiers into an intimate film which is under two hours long.
Yet it packs four interweaving stories along a shifting timeline and holds your attention for every second of it.
We have Mark Rylance’s civilian boat, Tom Hardy’s spitfire pilot, Kenneth Branagh’s senior officer and a handful of soldiers just wanting to get home.
They all highlight a different point of view, whether it is bravery, sacrifice or duty.
But all are soaked in an unshakeable sense of dread and resignation.
OK, elephant in the room time.
I’m not sure how much I believe Nolan’s claim he didn’t know who Harry Styles was before casting him.
Regardless, the lad is remarkably confident and watchable.
It isn’t the cameo I expected.
MOST READ IN FILM
The rest of the cast are all good and do what they do best, but there is very little for any of them to say.
There can’t be more than a handful of pages of dialogue in the whole film.
There’s little opportunity to get to know any of the characters.
You have to take the film as a whole entity.
It’s not an “actory” film, it’s a director’s offering — but what an incredible treat it is.
I was lucky enough to see it at an IMAX and if you have one near you, please make the effort.
Nolan knows what he’s doing.
You lean out of your seat as a spitfire banks, hold your breath as a soldier does the same underwater and see the tragedy of thousands of young soldiers without hope, calling out for their mothers.
Apart from the scale and beautiful imagery, Hans Zimmer’s score and Lee Smith’s editing make Dunkirk a borderline masterpiece.
It’s a real contender for the Oscars.
Arguably Nolan’s best film — unarguably one of the best films you’ll see all year.
