Dunkirk

With home in sight, four hundred thousand soldiers have been pushed to the sea and left stranded. Known for speculative fantasy films such as Inception and Interstellar, Christopher Nolan has an historical epic spelled out for him yet delivers a film with spectacular effects and exceptional editing but cannot move before it feeling as if you are watching newsreel excerpts devoid of any personal interactions other than off-the-cuff conversations. Focused on three fronts – the evacuation attempt, aerial dogfights and the efforts by the civilian brigade of rescue boats – it’s a war film divested of internal anxiety or tension-building confrontation.

[PG-13]