Westside Steve Posted August 6, 2017 Report Share Posted August 6, 2017 Dunkirk Warner Brothers PG13. 106 min It occurred to me just the other day that when asked I will normally say I'm not a big fan of war movies. Then I started to think of some of the truly great war movies that popped to mind including FULL METAL JACKET, APOCALYPSE NOW, BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN etcetera. So maybe I will need to soften that stance even though I have been less enthusiastic about some of the recent war films about Desert Storm and some of the more recent US skirmishes. World War II is just close enough to reset memory, as most of us know some actual World War II veterans, and gives us a true black and white as far as good vs Evil. The Nazis really are the universal bad guys . Also its far back enough in history that modern day politics dont have such a grip on the subject matter. This film DUNKIRK is something of a slice of Life film about a short period during the evacuation of allied soldiers from the infamous Battle of Dunkirk and the people involved in that rescue. The Nazis had advanced and trapped hundreds of thousands who would have surely perished if not for a consolidated effort of naval and civilian seamen who were able to rescue upwards of three hundred thousand. The bravery of everyone involved in this, and almost any war, is astounding. Director Christopher Nolan puts together a two-hour view that almost seems like a real time documentary of the events. Unfortunately despite the fact that that was the aim of the film I dont think it particularly works as a movie. Is that blasphemy? To expect a motion picture to have some entertainment value or to speak in less than glowing terms of Nolan? Sorry. There are a very few characters that the story has to concern itself with, a young boy who has stowed away on a pleasure craft and the owner of said yacht who is committed to rescuing the forces. There is a shell shocked castaway and a handful of others on this particular boat and frequent flashes to a pilot whose engines will be damaged and forced to touch down on the beach, but only a tiny bit of attention to the differences and the interactions between them. Its almost as if Nolan just turned on a camera during the battle and let it run. I would have much preferred a closer look at some of the human stories of the people involved. It is because of this dry and almost voyeuristic view of the rescue operation that DUNKIRK fails to achieve any empathy with the audience, which is a shame because the filmmaking is impeccable and the characters, even though we never really get to know them, truly heroic. Sorry but for those reasons I cant muster up a grade over C- WSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted August 7, 2017 Report Share Posted August 7, 2017 I basically agree. In fact, prior to seeing this movie I had found at our library a BBC dramatic interpretation of the events at Dunkirk that was actually better (and longer...so it involved more of the story....including telling the story of the soldiers, including the French who had to "hold the line" while the cross channel escape was being made). Here is the wikipedia description of that series: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkirk_(TV_series) (made in 2004 it seems) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westside Steve Posted August 7, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2017 Because as even the French know love isn't always on time. WSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DieHardBrownsFan Posted August 7, 2017 Report Share Posted August 7, 2017 Freedom Fries! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted August 7, 2017 Report Share Posted August 7, 2017 Because as even the French know love isn't always on time. WSS 10CC?...or Toto? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldBrownsFan Posted August 8, 2017 Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 I read where some feminazi movie reviewer wasn't happy because of the lack of female characters in the movie. Does this gal want us to re-write history to make her happy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted August 8, 2017 Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 I read where some feminazi movie reviewer wasn't happy because of the lack of female characters in the movie. Does this gal want us to re-write history to make her happy? I mean, I suppose they could have put in some phony love story, like they did in the movie Pearl Harbor. That movie was dreadful because of that "love story". If they had left it to the historical scenes...the "action" scenes, it would have been a much better movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Westside Steve Posted August 8, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 So you think there were no incidents of human interest of any of those people that could have been explored? WSS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted August 8, 2017 Report Share Posted August 8, 2017 So you think there were no incidents of human interest of any of those people that could have been explored? WSS You talking to me? Or someone else? I will assume you were talking to me. The answer is: yes. And as I said, the 2004 BBC program did some of that. But I don't think that a phony love story like the one in Pearl Harbor would have enhanced this current show, not at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillmotion Posted September 30, 2017 Report Share Posted September 30, 2017 Nolan always has problems with lack of character development. However, I did like this one. Would've gave it 4 stars myself, and the score by Zimmer is amazing. War films are way too cliche nowadays ago. I miss films like A matter of life and death, apocalypse now, and the best years of our lives, a good script is always what's lacking nowadays, and this is too predictable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjp28 Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 I've always been a BIG WWII buff but I've just watched the first 50 minutes of DUNKIRK and it's awful so far. I will finish watching it now. .........edit add, my final grade, A - subject matter, very important. D maybe, it stunk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjp28 Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 I guess I'm not the only one on the $100M dud, from IMBd vewiers reviews...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Gipper Posted January 14, 2019 Report Share Posted January 14, 2019 As I have noted elsewhere I think in the barbershop the Tom Hardy character was based basically on my cousin Alan Deere Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPPT1974 Posted January 15, 2019 Report Share Posted January 15, 2019 Well love movies that show those of in the USA the Greatest Generation and their allies fighting the enemy the sake of humanity and mankind. Need to see this movie. Love WWII things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.