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Some of the greatest British war films
deal with the nation’s catastrophic
failures in military history: A Bridge
Too Far, The Charge of the Light Brigade, The
Bridge on the River Kwai, and now Dunkirk
can confidently add itself to the list.
Ostensibly, of course – the Battle of
Dunkirk was spun into a victory at a time
when morale in Britain was desperately
needed; it now faced Hitler’s formidable
Wehrmacht alone. But no propaganda
campaign could conceal the truth; the Allied
armies in Belgium and France had been
utterly routed and driven to the French
coastline by Germany’s dauntless panzer
divisions. General Sir Alan Brooke famously
wrote in his diary, “Nothing but a miracle
can save the BEF (British Expeditionary
Force) now.”
Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk is sparse in
dialogue, relying instead on impactful visuals
to guide the plot through its 106-minute
duration – the director’s shortest film to
date. Moreover, the blood and carnage of
Hacksaw Ridge and Saving Private Ryan is
noticeably absent.
Instead, Nolan creates a relentless sense
of tension to unsettle the viewer, which
is intensified by an omnipresent Hans
Zimmer score. It’s the fear of a screeching
dive-bomber, the dread of a fizzing torpedo,
and the inherent terror of soldiers trapped
helplessly within the steel walls of a sinking
RELEASED: June 13 DIRECTOR: Edgar Wright
CAST: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jon Hamm,
Lily James RATING: MA15+
Baby (Ansel Elgort) is a taciturn getaway driver for
heist mastermind Doc (Kevin Spacey). With a pair
of sunnies and iPod earbuds affixed, Baby drives
to his own playlist, which blocks out the tinnitus
sustained in a childhood accident, and the inane
chatter of the motley crews he expedites from
crime scenes. Having squared a longtime debt
with Doc, Baby adopts the mantra of the weary
criminal-for-hire: “One more job. Then I’m done.”
Moreover, he’s just found love with diner waitress
Debora (Lily James) and the future’s so bright, he’ll
still need those shades. But Doc doesn’t want to
lose his valuable asset, and when the two worlds
collide, well, nobody puts Baby in a corner… Edgar
Wright has toyed with zombies, buddy cops, aliens
and video games, but this particular Baby was
born out of the British writer-director’s longtime
desire to set a car chase to The Jon Spencer Blues
Explosion’s “Bellbottoms”. The result is an obvious
labour of love and easily Wright’s best film to
date; a fast and furious action-thriller with a sweet
romance at its heart and a soundtrack that just
won’t quit. Propelled by its own rhythm, with scenes
and dialogue synced to the curated songs, Wright
doesn't miss a beat, and neither does his cast. Elgort
is perfect as the baby-faced protagonist with a
killer glare, and a terrific Jon Hamm shakes off Don
Draper to play a real madman. A relentless remix of
The Getaway and True Romance , Baby Driver is a
cool ride from go to whoa. Scott Hocking
BABY DRIVER
A young British boy struggles to come to terms
with the impending death of his cancer-stricken
mother in this ambitious mix of terminal illness
drama and fantasy. 12-year-old Conor (MacDougall)
is having recurring nightmares, his mother (Jones)
is sick from the chemo treatments and when the
inevitable happens, Conor faces the prospect of
living with his stern grandmother (Weaver). His
absent father (Toby Kebbell) is relocating to LA, and
he’s being bullied at school. Life’s dealt this kid a
cruel hand. And then a monster calls in the form of
a giant walking, talking yew tree (a spectacular CGI
creation with the sonorous voice of Liam Neeson)
whose, err, bark is worse than its bite. This mega-
Groot, or arthouse Ent, becomes a benevolent
companion to Conor, telling him three fables that
parallel his current situation and demanding the
boy provide a fourth tale in return, which must be
the truth. There are shades of Pan’s Labyrinth in a
fantasy creature conjured to shield a child from real
world trauma, and director J.A. Bayona delivers
the emotional punch and knockout visual style
that distinguished his superb debut feature The
Orphanage, while eschewing the overt sentiment
of his second, The Impossible. A Monster Calls is
an imaginative and affecting experience that fans
of Guillermo del Toro and Tim Burton are advised to
check out – and everyone else for that matter. Just
be sure to bring tissues. Scott Hocking
A MONSTER CALLS
RELEASED: July 27 DIRECTOR: J.A. Bayona
CAST: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver,
Felicity Jones RATING: PG
Christopher Nolan's wartime drama is his best film to date.
DUNKIRK
RELEASED: July 20
DIRECTOR: Christopher Nolan
CAST: Tom Hardy, Cillian
Murphy, Kenneth Branagh
RATING: M
016 AUGUST 2017
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ship. On the beaches, shattered soldiers
lurch between desperation and disbelief –
zombies shuffling in the dunes.
There are strong performances from
the leading players. Kenneth Branagh is
typically reliable as a resilient naval officer
orchestrating the evacuation from a heavily
targeted jetty. Mark Rylance is excellent
playing a civilian sailor driven by a sense of
purpose and duty to assist in the rescue
of the hapless soldiers. And despite the
economy of his lines, Tom Hardy’s Spitfire
pilot is the soaring hope that anchors the
chaos and despair below on the sea and
beaches. The aerial combat sequences,
sparing CGI for actual aircraft footage,
deliver some of the most compelling
sequences in the film.
Ultimately though, it’s Nolan’s direction
that will rightfully garner the plaudits.
Working in the unfamiliar realm of historical
context after a number of fantastical
genre pictures, he demonstrates a
comprehensive understanding of and
respect for the subject he’s exploring, and
you can sense his hand at every twist and
turn. The sustained, and at times practically
unbearable, level of anxiety he generates
in Dunkirk is so unforgiving that the final
credit roll is almost greeted with relief.
Dunkirk is a masterclass in contemporary
filmmaking and undoubtedly represents
Nolan’s finest hour. Paul Jones
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