Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk Film

1357 Words3 Pages

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

Open Document