Review of Dunkirk (2017) by Gareth D — 03 Aug 2017

Dunkirk 15/70mm BFI IMAX. Films should be events, and this certainly is. Compare it to Masters of Cinema greats: Wellman's Wings, Lang's M, L'Aubier's L'Argent and so on. Every great film can survive as a silent. Dunkirk's sparse dialogue allows it to stand tall. Gripping, enveloping, jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring. Think skydiving footage in Moonraker, the opening plane heist in Dark Knight Rises and multiply it a hundred times. No CGI. No shortcuts. Real film making. Admirable and far reaching.

A shorter film than normal for Nolan, presumably because of the size of the projector. Five miles of massive film strips. Bits of debris trapped in the camera gate made me think oh no I'm going to see this all the time now. But they disappeared from cut to cut, only raising my appreciation of Nolan's achievement. Yes, I love this film.

It could do with a few extra scenes, setting off from the English coast, maybe more loading of soldiers, but they'd only soften the film's impact, and you can fill the gaps yourself. Didn't really need them. A film so immersive, I was amazed audience members went to the loo. Despite the water on screen and dying for a pee, I stayed till the very end. Had to. This is my life. Love movies like this. Absolutely love them.