Review: 'Dunkirk' is Christopher Nolan's best work in years

‘Dunkirk’ is a worthy addition to Christopher Nolan’s ambitious filmography, and undoubtedly his best work since 'Inception'.

It tells the real-life event of the attempt to rescue over 400,000 soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk, France during the Second World War. As large as this story in terms of scope, it seems Nolan isn’t going for ambition, but misdirection.

If you are looking for a war film, you will get it here. This is a film that enables different departments of the battlefield to have their respective shining moment. It goes to three interconnected settings, the warplanes in the air, the civilian boats on the water, and the soldiers trapped at the beach grounds. But contrary to expectations, this is a film that isn’t built on battles, but by individual struggles hungry for hope. It strongly points out that while winning the battle is what should be considered, the fight to human survival still reigns.

Nolan made quite an interesting approach on making the characters as random figures. In this film, there are no lead characters, just spectators of violence. He cleverly left out most of the pivotal bits of the war by following characters in confined spaces, allowing uncertainties to increase with tension.

The use of a non-linear narrative in this film might result to mixed reactions, but the decision surprisingly made the atmosphere they’re setting up feel authentic and raw. Conformed by different time frames juxtaposed together to create a seamless flow to the action, it creates ambiguity that fits well in a war feature.

‘Dunkirk’ is a film that benefited well by its obsession with temporal relations. Hans Zimmer’s score is largely composed of a ticking clock and percussion beats, and easily one of his best. Time is what really drives the film, and it is implying there’s no stop to the story’s battles. The movie might’ve concluded on a note that is neither glorious nor tragic, but what Nolan accomplished here is a success.

The geek rates it 9/10!

'Dunkirk' is now showing in cinemas nationwide from Warner Bros. Pictures Philippines. Rated PG by the MTRCB.