Review of Dunkirk (2017) by Kevin P — 05 Mar 2018

Strengths: Christopher Nolan is my favorite director. In terms of his pure skills as a director, this might be his finest achievement. The film looks and sounds incredible. It's shot in a way that almost feels like a documentary. There's a realness to everything that happens in the movie that grabs you in way that some other war films might not. The narrative is different and telling the story from three different points of view made it unique.

Weaknesses: As beautifully shot as this movie is, there's just enough else to get me fully invested. The acting performances cap out at just fine. Without much dialogue, the acting and storytelling had to be on point and that lacked for me. Tom Hardy (Farrier) and Cillian Murphy (Shivering Soldier) were the best of the bunch, though neither was great. There was a severe lack of connection between me and the characters. I watched them in peril and didn't feel a thing. That's not what I want from my movie going experience.

Overall: I have to give credit where credit is due, as Christopher Nolan did a tremendous job in showcasing his skill as a director. However, the story is one of his weakest, as there was no way to get invested in what was happening. It felt like someone made a great documentary with a blockbuster budget.