Dunkirk

Extremely ambitious yet rarely effective, Dunkirk transpires across three separate timelines during the Second World War and follows an assortment of one-dimensional figures as they attempt to make their way to safety during the infamous Dunkirk evacuation – with the movie detailing the exploits of, among others, an on-the-ground British soldier (Fionn Whitehead’s Tommy), a tenacious fighter pilot (Tom Hardy’s Farrier), and a brave civilian (Mark Rylance’s Mr. Dawson). The problem is, however, that writer/director Christopher Nolan launches directly into the action without offering any context or, eventually, character development, and although Nolan and cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema deliver expectedly eye-popping visuals (especially when viewed in the IMAX format), Dunkirk’s inability to wholeheartedly grab the viewer’s attention ensures that its positive attributes grow more and more irrelevant as time progresses – which, in essence, paves the way for a midsection that’s rife with impressively conceived and executed set pieces that nevertheless come off as meaningless noise (ie the equivalent would be a version of Saving Private Ryan entirely about the opening beach landing). It’s interesting to note, at least, that the movie is consistent in its mediocrity, as none of the narrative’s three threads manage to make any kind of memorable, entertaining impact – with the least effective subplot, surprisingly enough, involving Hardy’s cipher of a character. (And it doesn’t help, certainly, that the actor delivers his few lines of dialogue from behind a thick mask, thus rendering his speech unintelligible.) There’s little doubt, then, that sequences meant to generate suspense and tension fall almost uniformly flat, as the viewer’s inability to form a rooting interest in the various characters makes it impossible to sympathize with their ongoing exploits – which is disappointing, to say the least, given the plethora of near-death moments sprinkled throughout the briskly-paced proceedings. By the time the three storylines converge in the frenetic yet uninvolving third act, Dunkirk has certainly confirmed its place as an atypical misfire from an otherwise rock-solid filmmaker and one can’t, in the end, help but wonder what Nolan originally set out to accomplish with this half-baked production.

** out of ****

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