Quite possibly the greatest evacuation undertaken by the Allied forces during World War II, the battle of Dunkirk was a harrowing example of success in a time of bleak warfare. Christopher Nolan now looks to commemorate this event with a film that looks every bit as nail-biting and hard scrabble as the actual event, with Dunkirk - his latest big ticket motion picture. Judging by our first extensive look at the film below, we think he's on his way to another winning success, and possibly his most devastating film yet.
Warner Bros released this new look at Dunkirk this morning, presumably so that the trailer can run in front of this weekend's IMAX / 70mm friendly spectacle, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In the tradition of wartime classics such as The Longest Day, Christopher Nolan's latest looks like it has both an all-star cast and a multi-faceted story that focuses on various fronts during the eight day skirmish that eventually saw over 330,000 Allied soldiers evacuated.
As far as the film is concerned, Dunkirk looks to be a pulse pounding recounting of the infamous World War II victory, and there's quite a cast to be spotted. Most prominently, we see Kenneth Brannagh as a member of the top brass in the British Navy. Presumably, he'll be the most senior ranking character, as he looks to be the most authoritative in the trailer, surveying the entire scenario with grim pragmatism and steely resolve. Other quickly glimpsed combatants include Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, and Mark Rylance - the latter two looking to serve as part of the emotional component of the film's message, as Murphy wants to desert and Rylance is not so keen to run.
Christopher Nolan certainly doesn't look to be skimping on the ferocity of Dunkirk's reality, which has us wondering about a couple factors involving the film's final product. The biggest question that we have about Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk is whether or not the film will have a PG-13 or an R-rating, considering his films typically land the latter rating. While The Dark Knight could be seen as a case for Nolan's stretching the more commercial rating to its darkest extents, a real-life warfare scenario would probably be more stark and considered more realistic by the MPAA, thus landing the film the more restrictive rating. Then again, it didn't hurt business for Saving Private Ryan back in 1998, as anyone who was underage and wanted to see the film could depend on equally interested parents to bring them.
Overall, this is still a pretty small look at what Dunkirk will obviously deliver on come its release date, but what we've seen so far still has us pretty impressed. Christopher Nolan's first foray into his most historically based film could be the clincher that not only solidifies his reputation as a top flight film-maker, but may also be his key to gaining a Best Director nomination, and maybe even a win, at the Academy Awards. For now though, it looks like he's putting together the most solid war film we've seen in a while, and that's got us excited to no end.
Dunkirk will arrive in special 35mm, 70mm and IMAX 70mm exhibitions, on July 17, 2017; with wide release slated for July 21, 2017. Limited 70mm showings of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will contain an extended sneak peek of the film this weekend, so be sure to check your listings.
