Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk" (July 21, 2017) - Part 3

[Dr.]

...There was almost no story structure whatsoever. The movie felt like one continuous action finale, in some ways I'd argue it just felt like one long scene (I realize there were different scenes, but something about the transitioning felt odd). This isn't necessarily a bad thing though, I feel like this style could have worked fine for the subject matter if the movie had very interesting characters. As it is the characters are boring and not developed at all. I didn't care about any of them. Without story and without characters I'm not really sure why I was supposed to be engaged.

As has been mentioned before, Dunkirk is a suspense/escape narrative that employs one of Nolan’s signature themes: the perception of time. And arguably, the historical setting and context work more as a framing device; and the frame isn't really the plot. So if you wanted (or expected) a more conventional docudrama, then I quite understand why you’d be disappointed.

 

[Lord]

Dunkirk would work quite well with The Darkest Hour as a double bill.

One is about the people making decisions, while the other is about the people trying to survive, based on those decisions.

 

[Schlosser85]

Dunkirk would work quite well with The Darkest Hour as a double bill.

One is about the people making decisions, while the other is about the people trying to survive, based on those decisions.

Tbh, splicing them together might make both of them more interesting.

 

[BatLobster]

I just rewatched it for the first time at home, just on my computer with headphones. The movie surprisingly hasn't lost its power for me. If anything, listening on headphones just made me appreciate the sound design/score even more. There's so much subtle stuff going on throughout- pulses, sudden tempo changes- there's really a lot that went into creating that constant sense of tension throughout. I definitely 'got' what Nolan was talking about with the Shepard Tone thing on this rewatch. There's a lot going on there on the subconscious level that the film film does to engage you.

And I still think the interweaving of the 3 timelines was beautifully done, and really starts to pay off amazingly in the third act. The visual storytelling throughout is just so good.

I can definitely see how it's a film that doesn't work for everyone, but for me it was just such a striking and unique cinematic experience. It really still stands out for me when I think about the films of 2017, and I thought 2017 was a very strong year. It also just makes it excited to see how Nolan will continue to find new spins on various genres moving forward. Especially with this having been his riskiest film to date and it turning out successful in terms of box office and the accolades it earned him. It wasn't too long ago that we were fretting over whether this would be a bomb that could tank his career- which was honestly understandable.

 

[TheVileOne]

Dunkirk and Darkest Hour are excellent companion pieces. Not sure about editing together, but you can definitely watch them back to back. It's like giving you all the off-screen scenes that you don't see in Dunkirk.

But watching Darkest Hour, it felt eerie how it seemed parts of both films felt like they fit together. Like a puzzle that was finally becoming complete.

 

[Arachnerd]

Still waiting for that inevitable fan edit of the two.

 

[Kane52630]

Ringer pod with Quentin Tarantino on Dunkirk.

‘Dunkirk,’ With Quentin Tarantino, Sean Fennessey, and Chris Ryan