Christopher Nolan knows how to make epic theatrical experiences. His films practically require a theater viewing to fully appreciate, with Dunkirk being the most prominent example. Is Dunkirk Nolan’s best film to date? Subjectively, I say no (at least 5 of his previous films I consider superior), yet it is, so far, Nolan’s best film to see theatrically. Dunkirk is a grand experience of hell and hope, with sound playing an essential role. It’s a film I thoroughly urge you to see in theaters (IMAX if available), as I cannot see it being as effective if viewed at home.
Dunkirk takes place during WWII, following three different viewpoints intertwined to do what Nolan loves: tell a nonlinear story. The first part, The Mole, follows several British and French soldiers as they try to stay alive on the beaches of Dunkirk while their armies make a tactical retreat. Part two, The Sea, follows a British civilian boat as its owner Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance), his son and their boat hand travel to Dunkirk to help evacuate soldiers. Part three, The Air, follows three British pilots as they fly to Dunkirk to provide air support. The Mole takes place over a week, The Sea takes place over a day, and The Air takes place over an hour.
Sound is a key player, if not the key player, throughout Dunkirk. Dialogue is minimal throughout the film, with a combination of Hans Zimmer’s powerful score and wartime sound effects being used to set the film’s mood and atmosphere. The soundtrack is in sync with the intense droning of German bombers diving towards the beaches. The film’s tensest scenes involve the characters slowly realizing the impending assault as they look up to the distant hum of planes, followed by hellish screeches as the bombers rain destruction upon the men and ships. One scene involves a British vessel being torpedoed by a German U-boat, causing the men and women below deck to become trapped as water floods into the room. The best way I can describe the scene’s soundtrack is an intensified version of the Sonic the Hedgehog drowning score—getting similarly louder and more dramatic as an above deck soldier desperately tries to save the trapped people from a watery grave.
Dunkirk has a non-stop intensity throughout that never stops to take a breather or allow for downtime. The film starts off immediately in the action and ends just as it settles down. The three parts are constantly switching between themselves—when one part looks to be calming down, it switches to a more heated part. Even when a part is having an intense scene, the film will change to an equally as, if not more, intense part (one that parallels the other part’s current events). The film is very effective at making Dunkirk appear a living hell that everyone is desperate to escape from. Such depiction makes it easy to comprehend a shell-shocked private’s fear and panic when he’s picked up in The Sea and told the boat is heading to Dunkirk. Such depiction also amplifies the bravery of those who charge towards such hell to help their fellow man—such as the British pilot in The Air who continues fighting despite his situation getting increasingly bleaker.
My only gripe with Dunkirk is its lack of characterization given to the privates of The Mole, as I could not distinguish them apart. There’s a big dramatic scene involving the soldiers turning on one another for survival, yet I only had the faintest idea of who was who in the situation. By the final scene, I wasn’t certain if either of the surviving privates was the soldier in the opening segment (I had to look up a plot summary after seeing the film to find out). Fortunately, The Sea and The Air (in addition to some of The Mole scenes involving the military higher-ups) do a far better job at defining their characters and personalities. With Dunkirk, Nolan succeeds in creating his finest theatrical experience to date, being a film well worth the time and money to go see.
