The Beach: Review of Dunkirk

Dunkirk

Director: Christopher Nolan

By Alex Watson

Few war movies have captured the horrors and struggle of WW2 quite like Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. From the opening frame, this movie has its audience holding their breath in a worried silence. Celebrating a real miracle of wartime, Nolan shows us that heroism is found in the most unlikely places. Shining brightly during its numerous combat sequences, Nolan's movie is equally powerful during its quiet moments.

In May 1940, 400,000 British soldiers have been stranded on the beaches of Dunkirk for some time. Rescue efforts have proven futile due to a large number of German's surrounding them. Facing a horrifying ordeal and a potential invasion of their homeland, military personnel such as Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh), RAF pilot Farrier (Tom Hardy), army private Tommy (Finn Whitehead) and civilian sailor Mr Dawson (Mark Rylance) must all do their part to make a miracle happen.

Diving straight into the action, Dunkirk rarely gives its audience a chance to stop and think. Low on dialogue, Nolan uses the pictures to tell the story rather than dragging it down with a lengthy and wordy backstory. British soldiers are facing a hellish scenario and overhead the Germans frequently bombard them with air attacks. The wailing sounds of the fighter planes hurtling are like hearing death from above! Home is so close yet so far (39 nautical miles to be precise) and Nolan makes the sense of hopelessness feel so apparent. In one powerful scene on a windswept beach, one British soldier wades into the sea in despair. The movie is cut into three different sections 1. The Mole which deals with the situation on the beach, 2. The Air: which focuses on the RAF dog fights to protect soldiers on land and finally 3. The Sea which is where Mr Dawson roams into view.

The imagery of this movie is what truly sticks in the mind. Nolan has mesmerised our eyes before in Inception and Interstellar, but in this picture, he refuses to fall back on computer visuals. The powerful image of watching thousands of soldiers duck for cover during an air attack is far more jarring than CGI. The horrors of this war are frequently brought to our attention- in total four ships are sunk and rescue attempts have to continually restart. Watching young Tommy trying to drown out the sounds of gunfire while underwater painfully emphasises the torture that will follow. The concept of everyone doing what they can gives the movie an inner strength. Mr Dawson is a man willingly heading into a world of trouble and when he rescues Cillian Murphy's shellshocked 'Shivering Soldier' he sees how much he will have to endure. However, never once does his desire to save soldiers wane. Nolan doesn't seek to glorify this conflict and there is no overbearing sense of patriotism. In simple terms, it's about showing just how much ordinary people can be put through when things are on the line.

Although the timelines of Dunkirk's three stories often go back and forth in time- they are skillfully put together. Aided by Hans Zimmer's pulsating and ticking score- we know every second counts. Tommy and another young soldier Alex (Harry Styles) show the end of the innocence during the war. Pushed to breaking point they resort to increasingly desperate measures to get home. Farrier patrols the air with a calm authority and despite his fuel situation being unclear he still knows that each plane he lets slip away is one more than the British need. The air sequences provide Nolan's movie with an injection of thrills. A throwback to old air classics, Nolan films real Spitfire's flying against the vast number of German fighters. Goosebumps are guaranteed to appear whenever they fly by and for once a lack of CGI is a real blessing. Cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema's glorious photography is what makes this journey such a harrowing yet inspiring experience.

Despite established names like Branagh and Hardy being billed, their impact on this movie is minimal. Newcomer Finn Whitehead has an arduous task of being the very face of the ordinary soldier- but he carries it off effortlessly. Showing a conflicted soul, Tommy's exposure to the shock of combat shows a boy who is becoming a man way too soon. Harry Styles might have divided opinion with his casting, but as young Alex, he truly excels. Showing a depth of emotion and talent which will surprise many, Styles proves he has some fine acting chops. Mark Rylance once again proves he is now Hollywood's go-to man for supporting roles. His Mr Dawson is as selfless as they come and Rylance gives him a bravery that is iron-clad.

Dunkirk is a movie that will be rivalled by few this year. Some might see Christopher Nolan as a director who believes he is smarter than his audience, but this picture shows that he can also deep when given a straight story to tell. Highly recommended.

Bullet With Butterfly Wings: Review of Free Fire

Free Fire

Director: Ben Wheatley

By Alex Watson

To quote Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels "I don't fucking believe this can everyone stop getting shot!" In Ben Wheatley's Free Fire, that is very much the case.  Proving himself across different genres, the British director proves to be adept at doing action films. Essentially two hours of people firing weapons and insults at each other- Wheatley along with executive producer Martin Scorsese somehow keeps this thrilling.

In 1970's Boston, Irish criminals Chris (Cillian Murphy) and Frank (Michael Smiley) along with fixer Justine (Brie Larson) are purchasing weapons. Buying from sleazy arms dealer Vern (Sharlto Copley) and brokered by Ord (Armie Hammer), things go smoothly at first. However, when Frank's drug addled brother in law Stevo (Sam Riley) starts a fight- all hell breaks loose!

The way that Wheatley and co-writer Amy Jump measure the pace of Free Fire is what really makes the difference. Starting a slow yet energetic pace, we see Stevo battered and bruised from a fight taking smack to dull the pain. Each character introduction has a vital stamp on the plot itself, Chris and Frank are ones losing patience quickly. Ord is the well-dressed smooth talker who is immediately suspect, while Justine politely brushes off Chris' awkward flirtations. When Vern appears, he is another kind of creepy but is endlessly quotable "Vern and learn baby!" The amount of different stories going on at once are impressive. All the characters have different hopes and expectations for this deal- but there is also an air of tension that immediately threatens the balance.

When Stevo resurrects an argument with another member of Vern's clan, Harry (Jack Reynor) things go south quite quickly. While everyone attempts to calm things down at first, bullets are soon zipping through the air. For the next hour, Wheatley sets about meticulously planning possible exits and end game scenarios. What makes this a different type of shoot-em-up is the intelligence the story displays. At given points, characters attempt compromises to try and end the violence. Guessing which characters will remain loyal and which will turn is frequently entertaining. You also feel the pain the characters feel each time they are shot. Seeing them attempting to crawl to safety gives this a more realistic feel than most action pieces.

Despite Wheatley giving Free Fire a promising opening, his middle act of people shooting at each other does drag on. At one stage we wonder precisely what the payoff will be? Although there are surprises galore, the finale isn't one that provides any great thrills. The excess violence has been criticised by many, but the picture cannot exist without it. However, the strength of characters is what boosts things. Each one has their own agenda and it is impossible to decipher who is working with who? Wheatley also gives his film an air of cool along with some great dialogue. A director wearing a lot of different hats these days, Wheatley again proves that he is one for the future.

This ensemble cast is served well by standout turns by Brie Larson and Armie Hammer. Larson is the sly vixen whose intentions are ambigious at best, while Hammer is gives his Ord a suaveness that thinly masks his psychopath persona. As usual, Sharlto Copley threatens to steal the show and his Vern is what you will come away remembering. His cringe worthy attempts at chatting up Justine are worth the admission fee alone. Also he is possible the most clear-cut character of the lot, all he wants is the money- as he spends majority of his time reminding people.

Free Fire is a movie that although dips in quality in the middle, is nonetheless a cool and creative shooter flick.