Dunkirk

I'm not sure why I didn't write this back in July, but better late than never...

Dunkirk was an interesting project for Christopher Nolan to undertake, more than anything else I get the impression that this is a story that is important to him.  Nolan's strengths as a director are apparent in Dunkirk, but the film suffers because his focus is not tight enough.  Nolan's greatest works have begun with a simple premise, which were expanded upon with just the right amount of narrative and details: The Prestige was about commitment, Inception dealt with belief, and Memento delved into the intricacies of loss.  Dunkirk is about any number of things; perseverance, ingenuity, and hope.  It's probably about many other important ideas too, which is why it is a good film.  What keeps it from being great is that Nolan never seems to know where the film's center should be, and this results in weak sub-plots and unnecessary characters taking up valuable screen time.  That being said, the cinematography, acting, effects, and sound are all superb.  It's not surprising that Nolan chose to focus on the Battle of Dunkirk's closing days and the ensuing evacuation; there are important lessons to be learned, and expressing those ideas is a challenge worthy of a great filmmaker.  It also should be noted that this film pairs well with Joe Wright's Darkest Hour, which is about Churchill making decisions that ultimately decide the fate of those at Dunkirk.  Nolan's Dunkirk will not have the lasting impact of Saving Private Ryan or Bridge on the River Kwai; that's because those films stayed on target from start to finish - Dunkirk is too much of a good thing.