DVD Review: Dunkirk

Dunkirk

directed by Christopher Nolan (DVD Dunkirk)

 

Dunkirk is a masterpiece of tone and atmosphere. Featuring a large cast, the storyline moves between various different characters during the tense and dramatic period of time when a group of thousands of allied troops and civilians awaits evacuation from Dunkirk and advancing German forces during World War II. Action takes place on land, on the sea, and in the air, as a flotilla of civilian pleasure craft from England joins forces with the military to cross the choppy English Channel in hopes of rescuing those who are trapped.

 

The thing that will stick out in my memory about Dunkirk is not any individual performance, though Kenneth Branagh does lead a stellar cast. Instead, it is the film’s soundtrack and sound editing that will forever be branded in my mind. There is a constantly building sense of tension and despair — the music and a vague sense of buzzing/vibration do not let up for a single second, ratcheting up the viewer’s sense of dread.

 

Admittedly, I didn’t end up truly invested in the fate of any individual character, but the viewing of this film was definitely still an unforgettable experience.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try any of Christopher Nolan‘s other films. Also: 1917, a different war but the same escalating sense of foreboding.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film ) | ( official Facebook page for Dunkirk )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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