Every now and then, a film comes along that gives you a unique experience at the cinema.
I’ll never forget seeing Avatar in 3D, which was the first film (regardless of your view on it) that genuinely made you feel like you were in that world for a couple of hours.
Christopher Nolan’s epic Dunkirk is one of those films.
With very little dialogue throughout the breathless two-hour running time, it’s very much a movie that grabs you with visceral action.
For those of you in need of a quick history lesson, Dunkirk tells the story of what Winston Churchill dubbed “a colossal military disaster” back in 1940 during WW2.
With some 400,000 troops surrounded by the German army on the harbour of Dunkirk in the north of France – they quite literally had days to escape or faced certain death – Nolan brings the evacuation mission to life.
Events are displayed from three different perspectives – land, sea, and air – each one unfolding at a different rate – one week, one day and one hour, respectively.
And, despite having mega-stars such as Brits Tomy Hardy and Harry Styles among its cast, Dunkirk also offers very little in the way of character building or development.
Indeed, much more important than the single characters is the dire plight as a whole. Survival, not traditional war film battles, is the name of the game here.
Replacing much of the dialogue is a haunting score by renowned composer Hans Zimmer, which plays a bigger role in ramping up the tension than any words could.
Seeing the men bunched together on the beach while German planes pepper them with gunfire or being washed back onto the beach they’ve just escaped following a torpedo attack on their boat was truly harrowing.
And Nolan manages that without showing us too much blood and guts, too.
You’ll struggle to find a more immersive film and it certainly stands out as a unique take on the war genre.
Of the actors involved, pop star Styles – making his film debut – probably gets the most lines. And, to his great credit, he does a brilliant job as one of the soldiers on the ground. If you were one of those people hoping he’d fail, you’ll be disappointed.
Among others he’s joined by soldier Fionn Whitehead, Kenneth Branagh (a Commander) and James D’Arcy (Colonel) on the beach.
The air element is headlined by Hardy, who plays a top RAF pilot who must decide between saving others or his fuel.
Then there’s the sea element of proceedings, which sees Mark Rylance shine as the heroic Mr Dawson, one of the many who answered the call and sailed his personal yacht towards Dunkirk and into the battle zone.
Cillian Murphy’s character is one of those who spans a couple of the perspectives, which can – only very briefly – get a little confusing. If you’re looking for negatives, that might just be the only one.
I think of all the films I’ve seen at the cinema over the past few years, Dunkirk is perhaps the one you genuinely must take in on the big screen.
It’s an epic take on a great, harrowing story – and you really need to see it.
Voice Verdict: 9.5/10 (reviewed at Boston’s West End Cinema)
+ Unique and immersive
+ Zimmer’s score
+ Visceral action and lack of dialogue
+ Styles, Hardy and Rylance shine
SHOWTIMES
Boston’s West End Cinema (Friday, July 28 to Thurs, August 3)
**VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS (12A)
2D – 5.30pm (Wed/Thurs)
3D – 8.45pm (Wed/Thurs)
**THE EMOJI MOVIE (U)
10am (Wed), 12.10pm (Wed/Thu), 2.45pm (Wed/Thu)
**GIRLS TRIP (15)
6.15pm (daily), 8.40pm (daily)
**CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS (U)
2D – 10am (daily), Noon (daily), 2.10pm (daily), 4.10pm (Sun), 4.20pm (not Sun), 6.30pm (not Sun)
DUNKIRK (12A)
11am (not Wed/Thu), 1pm (daily), 3.30pm (daily), 6pm (daily), 8.45pm (daily)
CARS 3 (U)
2D – 10am (not Wed), 12.30pm (daily), 3pm (daily)
WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES (12A)
2D – 2.20pm (not Sun/Wed/Thu), 5.20pm (not Sun), 5.45pm (Sun), 8.20pm (not Sun), 8.30pm (Sun)
SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (12A)
2D – 5.30pm (Fri-Mon), 8.20pm (daily)
DESPICABLE ME 3 (U)
2D – Noon (not Sun/Wed), 2.10pm (daily), 4.15pm (daily)
3D – 10am (Daily)
BABY DRIVER (15)
8.50pm (not Wed/Thu)
KIDS’ CLUB
Beauty & The Beast (PG) – 10.15am (daily)
SILVER SCREEN
Wed 11.30 – War for the Planet of the Apes (12A)
SUBTITLED SHOWING
Tuesday 5.30pm – Dunkirk (12A)
**FREE LIST SUSPENDED
