Since the Batman trilogy came to a close in 2012, Christopher Nolan has been - not exactly quietly - carving himself a niche as the master of big bassy blockbusters with convoluted storylines.
Dunkirk opens with this trademark bass with a scene that can truly only be appreciated by the shaking of your seat in the cinema. As Luftwaffe bombers line up another attack on the waiting soldiers at the beaches at Dunkirk, the impending doom as the bombs land ever closer is as uncomfortable as it is terrifying.
The film follows the allied retreat from the beaches of Dunkirk, interlacing scenes of the RAF Spitfires, the little boats of Dunkirk, and the helpless soldiers.
The characters themselves are deservedly paper thin, completely overshadowed by the event, and it is with huge credit that pop superstar Harry Styles, appearing in his only film to date, simply fades into the background, just another poor young man caught up in the horrors of war.
Dunkirk isn't an unsparing depiction of war by any stretch (All Quiet on the Western Front it is not), and Nolan has taken a certain amount of artistic licence in toning down the actual chaos that would have been on the beaches.
But, as a reminder of the anguish of war, wrapped up in event cinema that only Nolan can produce, Dunkirk is a must see.
4 stars
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