As many people on here know, Christopher Nolan is my favorite filmmaker. I’ve liked almost everything he’s made, loved a few of his movies, ranked “The Dark Knight” amongst my favorite films of all time, and been curious to reexamine his movies I haven’t appreciated as much as others. What you might not know is the true story this film is based on, the British evacuation of over 300,000 troops from the beaches of Dunkirk during World War II, is one of my favorite historical events. I love this story. So Nolan’s “Dunkirk” has been one of my most highly anticipated movies of the year. I liked it quite a bit, though I do have some reservations about Nolan’s latest. Nolan’s take on this film follows three storylines, those of soldiers on the beach, …show more content…
As such, a few actors stand out from the pack, but no one delivers a truly world-shaking performance. Fionn Whitehead is good as the main soldier on the beach we follow, who the credits tell us is Tommy. He makes you understand his character’s motivations and actions through his nonverbal acting. Tom Hardy does well with the very little he’s given, as Nolan once again puts him mostly behind a mask as the pilot Farrier. He doesn’t have much dialogue, but he uses his facial expressions and body language to make you feel for his character. Mark Rylance gives perhaps my favorite performance of the film as Mr. Dawson, a civilian who voluntarily goes to Dunkirk to rescue people. He has a kind of quiet nobility and heroism about him that is touching. Lastly, Kenneth Branagh is also moving as Commander Bolton, the highest ranking British officer at Dunkirk, providing the film with much of its …show more content…
Perhaps the emotional impact or our investment as the audience would have been more intense if we knew these people more? I’m not sure, but I think that may be the case. Another surprising choice Nolan makes is his minimal use of dialogue, which I both admired and felt frustrated by. On the one hand, I admired it because it forced Nolan to tell the story mostly visually and through sound, which pushes his artistic capabilities. Plus, it added to the feeling of Nolan wanting to portray a group of people, not individuals. So that’s obviously good. On the other hand, I was frustrated because it contributed to me not getting onboard with the movie as quickly as I could have and not investing in the characters sooner. I definitely became engrossed in this story and the characters, but I think there was a delay because the lack of dialogue kept me at a bit of a distance. Plus, I missed Nolan’s fantastic dialogue, as I also consider him one of the best screenwriters working today. Therefore, the lack of speaking also supplied some
One of the main products of this movie that popped out to me was the stars. They all seemed to be great actors even though I only knew one of them. For example, I thought that Ian Michael Smith did a great job portraying Simon Birch. He made the movie cute and funny all at once. I also thought that Joseph Mazello did a great job portraying relatable feelings in the movie. You could tell by his facial expressions what his mood was. All the actors did a great job and I can’t pinpoint one of them who did worse than the
The film stars many famous faces like Tom Sizemore (Sergeant Horvath), Edward Burns (Private Reiben) and Matt Damon (Private Ryan). The director, Steven Spielberg truly wanted to make the film and battle scenes as realistic as possible. His goal was to make the audience and critics realise the reality of how terrifying the Wars really were.
...this really portrays the realism of war. Overall the use of de-saturated film and handheld cameras is an effective way of portraying the film. It does not only portray the film but also realistically portrays war. Scenes which are sometimes horrific or disturbing to watch give us a tiny insight in to the horrific scenes of war. I feel this is the most realistic war film without actually being there. Spielberg successfully took this film to new levels with not always showing brave and noble men. Spielberg has reached the limits of modern film with his effects and constant persistence to find realistic effects. The opening scene is like a starter of a meal or a taste of what is about to come. It shows how these men are brave but scared. I think the film portrays the diversities of emotions experienced by the men. Overall I think this is a realistic and effective film.
Mel Gibson has reached an acting pinnacle, at least so far, with Braveheart. It is an epic
The rest of the cast is impeccable (extra points to Luca Calvani, who is delicious and Hugh Grant, always a pleasure to watch). And as I have already said it is, literally, one of the most visually impressive, elegant and stunning films ever made - it is like watching a work of lovingly-crafted 1960's period
On a scale from one to ten, I give this movie a seven. This film was well written and directed; the he plot was confusing at first, once I figured out that Christopher Nolan was trying to do, the rest of the story line was fairly easy to follow.
As far as I know, this film accurately portrays the Battle of Britain. It was historically accurate in the story that it told. It portrayed the Battle as a very important one. It was one of life and death. It was one that could have changed the outcome of the war and possibly altered history as we know it. The film showed how the RAF and its allies fought bravely and gallantly. I liked how it portrayed the pilots as weary and tired from all the fighting.
Robin William is known for his imitations in movies and he has such a large toolbox of them in this movie. He does Scottish, Hispanic, a few others. So sad that we won’t have another actor like him. I think the fact that they put Ewan McGregor as the leading role in this movie was a wonderful choice. He plays Obi Won Kanobi in Star Wars so he is perfect to be the courageous leading role in this movie.
Right off the bat, the acting in this movie is amazing. Many of the actors in
As Oskar Schindler, Liam Neeson does an outstanding job of portraying a savy buisness man and a caring human being. Ben Kingsley plays his part with heart and cleverness. Ralph Fiennes is so completely believable as Amon Goeth. I would have never wanted to cross the path of that man. The people who played the jews were so convincing in their parts. This film truly has the feel of a documentary.
Matt Charman‘s influence looks to have won the day as the Coen’s off-kilter sense of humor is much more tempered in the movie. Though a more tightly focused screenplay would have resulted in a more leaner and riveting movie fare, it is unlikely you will be complaining about it. Tom Hanks brings to the table his years of acting forte, leading the viewer deftly through all the set-pieces. He is the perfect casting for this role and it comes across when during the finale of the prisoner exchange at the Glienicke Bridge, we would care more about the fate of Soviet agent Abel and not the two returning Americans in exchange. Despite a consummate actor like Hanks sharing screen space with Mark Rylance, it is often Rylance who steals the screen presence in few of the scenes which is indicative of Rylance’s fine acting skills on
For example, I enjoyed Leonardo DiCaprio’s acting choices in the scene in which he explodes and starts screaming after Tom points out the truth about who is and how he got his money. That scene ultimately affected the way the film looked, felt, and sounded because DiCaprio’s explosive anger displayed the person he really is under the mask of corruption and immorality. Overall, the acting contributes to the way the film looks, feels, and sounds through the emphasized acting choices, help intensify significant scenes in the film and help the audience discover the ultimate meaning of the
...impossible to find myself anywhere but sitting on the edge of my seat. It was difficult to predict what would come next, constant suspense was all around. Thus, making the situations portrayed more interesting and entertaining to the viewer of the film.
... that you see this action filled thriller. Liam Neeson’s portrayal of Bryan Mills was courageous and inspiring. Only a father’s love could drive a man as far as he went to save his only daughter.
I view this as one of the few truly great movies of all time. I say this because it carries all of the basic cinematic elements that compose a great film. These elements begin with the characters. You can hardly expect to enjoy a movie if the characters are not believable. In this particular movie the characters were not only believable but you could identify yourself a little in one or all of the characters. One thing that can have an unfortunate detraction from even a good movie is anachronisms. The only one I found was a halogen bulb in a light fixture. However, I doubt anyone would notice were they not looking for one. This movie can be enjoyed by even the most mentally devoid of audiences. The reason for this is that most people do not like being bossed around or forced to do anything. It did make me think about how little freedom we actually have in life and how we all need to live just a little bit more.