HOLLYWOOD studios usually hold back their Oscar contending movies until year’s end, so they will be fresh in the mind of voters when balloting rolls around in January.Â
But already in July, we have a chance to witness something very special, a real awards candidate:
‘Dunkirk’.
The plot of the film centres around the evacuation of allied forces from the infamous French beach during World War II where some 330,000 men were cornered and stranded. Â
With resources needed elsewhere, the British navy were unable to send large destroyers to ferry their troops to safety, so civilian sailors were asked to make the short trip across the channel and help with the evacuation efforts.Â
And although German ground troops had agreed to halt their advance on the beach, their air forces continued to pepper the allies from the skies.
In effect, the movie is divided into three parts, one on land, one at sea and one in the air. On land, amongst others, we meet Tommy (played by Fionn Whitehead) and Alex (Harry Styles) and their struggle to get home.Â
In the air we ride a spitfire with ace marksman Farrier (Tom Hardy) whose job it is to keep his beached colleagues safe from incoming fire.Â
And in the water we travel with Mr Dawson (Mark Rylance) who is motivated by compassion and patriotism to do his bit for Queen and country.Â
From the opening scene the viewer is fully immersed in the traumatic experience of war.Â
The movie quickly gains pace and never lets up, driven by the heart pounding score from Hans Zimmer.Â
The action is relentless but never formulaic, the dialogue is sparse and efficient, never getting in the way of the story.Â
With Christopher Nolan (
‘The Dark Knight’,
‘Inception’,
‘Memento’) in the director’s seat, you know something special is about to unfold, and it doesn’t disappoint.Â
Catch it on 70mm at the Irish Film Institute or on IMAX, bring your popcorn and prepare to be sucked into one of the most realistic depictions of war you will ever see. We score Dunkirk a bomb busting 5 out of 5 stars.Â
Paul O’Rourke Â
