Dunkirk - 4 smiles

Although "Dunkirk" has an Oscar-unfriendly July release date, I'm sure that it will certainly be remembered when nominations are handed out. It is technically a war film, but its tone and style are those of a high-octane thriller. Director Christopher Nolan uses the framework of meticulously researched historical events as a backdrop for fictional characters. Using extensive cross-cutting, Nolan presents the events of late May 1940 using three perspectives and time frames: The Mole (infantry on the beaches of Dunkirk awaiting evacuation), duration 1 week; The Sea (a civilian crossing of the Channel), one day; The Air (a spitfire pilot tasked with stopping Germans from strafing and bombing rescue vessels and defenseless soldiers), one hour. By offering the perceptions of a limited number of characters and varying their roles and participation,  Nolan sacrifices characterization for a larger picture.

The British and French forces have already been routed by the German army. Backed up against the beach, 400,000 men are essentially stranded, waiting for rescue while being strafed by airplane fire as they queue up for the few boats that arrive. The narrative includes Fionn Whitehead and singer Harry Styles as young soldiers, Tom Hardy as a British pilot doing battle over the Channel and Mark Rylance serving as what amounts to a perfect surrogate for all the ordinary Britons who boarded small boats and brought their boys home. "Dunkirk" is extraordinarily spare, going long stretches with little or no dialogue, emphasizing the simple struggle for survival. Nolan also puts the audience inside the cockpit of an RAF Spitfire and in the line of fire during the action sequences, making this a rare film that benefits from seeing it in IMAX. (It was filmed with special IMAX cameras.) "Dunkirk" provides a fresh take on the horrors of war and the stirring aspect of the Dunkirk rescue. It's an extraordinary undertaking and Nolan delivers a spellbinding ride.