Dunkirk (2017)

Contemporary Review - Dunkirk 

It has been 72 years since the end of World War II, and the world is still recovering from it, or so we think. So many generations are removed from a war that so plainly explained itself as a war between good and evil, oppression and freedom, racism and tolerance, and life and death. The sacrifice that the allied powers gave for our civilized world came at a price many of us would never take. By air and by sea, the fight raged on, and on the bodies of many British, French, Russian and American, the good guys won. That is why a film like Dunkirk is so important for so many to be good. A film that immerses us and gets us as close as we can possibly get to the experience of WWII. Christopher Nolan at the helm gave us hope that it would be just that.

I saw the film in quite possibly the best way I could. IMAX. The film began on a gunfight between allied and axis soldiers and from that moment on, I was right along with them. The gunfire and torpedoes ripped through the sound system as if they were occurring right beside me. The sprawling images of fighter planes and ships taking off to sea. When under attack, you see the agony of the soldiers trying to stay alive, especially at sea with nothing to save them from drowning. The film focuses on pure survival, which is half the battle of fighting a war. Other than Saving Private Ryan, there has never been a film that more accurately captures the chaos of war quite like Dunkirk. If the intention was to make us feel exactly what it was like, Nolan succeeded beyond all expectation.

But there is one thing that bogged me down, and left me cold about Dunkirk. Physically, the film is a behemoth, but emotionally, it rung hollow. That is mainly because Dunkirk's historical accuracy is stunted by it's deliberate refusal to mention by name, Nazi Germany. This is a WWII film that doesn't mention Nazis. Let that sink in. Not once is there mention of Hitler or a visual of a swastika. We are, however, hinted at such in a scene where the British boys confront a suspected mole, who they assume enjoys sauerkraut. There are also lines of dialogue that mention Winston Churchill and his war strategy. British camaraderie and pride are on full display. But that is as far as Nolan goes in accurately depicting WWII. On all other accounts, this is an action movie inside a period piece, and that just isn't enough for me. Nolan explained in recent interviews that he doesn't want audiences bogged down by the politics of WWII. Unfortunately for Nolan, WWII was nothing but politics. War is inherently political. A WWII picture is by definition a political picture. A film that doesn't commit to that is a film that is incomplete. But that is just one man's opinion.

I enjoyed Dunkirk enough to say, I recommend seeing it on the biggest screen you can, just to see the brilliance of the direction and cinematography. The visual and audio quality doesn't get better than this.