Dunkirk Nolan Fans Member Reviews (NFometer)

The 2017 World War II thriller about the evacuation of British and Allied troops from Dunkirk beach.
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hiral wrote:For those who have seen the movie -- I wanted to get your thoughts
Couldn't they have gotten someone else to play the role Farrier (Tom Hardy)... in all honesty what was so "riveting" about his performance that couldn't be achieved by another faceless actor? Rylance, Darcy, Cillian, Branagh were the standouts
Chris gave him the coolest scenes but yeah someome else would have done it too.For me Fions role is underated . even though he didnt talk much he made me care what he was going through.

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hiral wrote:For those who have seen the movie -- I wanted to get your thoughts
Couldn't they have gotten someone else to play the role Farrier (Tom Hardy)... in all honesty what was so "riveting" about his performance that couldn't be achieved by another faceless actor? Rylance, Darcy, Cillian, Branagh were the standouts
Production notes says,
Tom Hardy plays Farrier, the higher ranking AF pilot, and he had personal reasons to join the project. "My grandfather was at Dunkirk. He told me about that", says the actor.

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Regarding not being able to understand some of what was going on, the good news about this film is outside of one particular scene, I almost feel this film could have been in a completely different language without subtitles, and I would have been able to understand everything still.

The scene I'm referring to is:
When the boys are in the boat and one of them incorrectly accused the friend (Gibson?) of being a German spy. I would have gotten that they would lure him out as bait, but I wouldn't have understood why.
Lord Shade wrote:
hiral wrote:For those who have seen the movie -- I wanted to get your thoughts
Couldn't they have gotten someone else to play the role Farrier (Tom Hardy)... in all honesty what was so "riveting" about his performance that couldn't be achieved by another faceless actor? Rylance, Darcy, Cillian, Branagh were the standouts
Production notes says,
Tom Hardy plays Farrier, the higher ranking AF pilot, and he had personal reasons to join the project. "My grandfather was at Dunkirk. He told me about that", says the actor.
I don't think he's asking why Nolan cast him, but rather he's asking why critics rave about his performance.

I think they're confusing his acting with his character, honestly. I think he did fine, but you're right, others could have done well as well. Sure, it was an ocular performance, but it's no Oscar-contender.

I'll tell you what, though... Hardy did sell one moment for me very well. Remember when he's potentially running low on fuel and sees the plane behind him? His eyes told me exactly what he was pondering: "Seek land, or turn around and save them meanwhile losing fuel?" Then his guilt over waiting too long while the ship was hit was read as well.

I thought he did very, very well in his role, but again nothing that I raved over in my impressions. I simply stated the acting was "fine all around," and I think that's all one has to say.

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Question about the ending for those who have seen the movie...
I'll be seeing it again tomorrow night to get a glimpse again, but does anyone understand why Nolan/Smith decided to edit this so that Whitehead finishes his final reading with the plane on fire, then I believe it fades to black then cuts to Whitehead once more, then cuts to black? I forget the exact sequence, but at least one part was a fade shot.

It was edited in a strange way that I almost felt it was an error from the projectionist haha. Just not exactly sure what the intent of that was. If instead they just did:

- Shot of plane on fire.
- Cut to Whitehead.
- Fade/cut to black.
- End credits: "DUNKIRK"

That would have been just fine. Not sure why there was a cut/fade to black quickly before going to Whitehead.

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MuffinMcFluffin wrote:Question about the ending for those who have seen the movie...
I'll be seeing it again tomorrow night to get a glimpse again, but does anyone understand why Nolan/Smith decided to edit this so that Whitehead finishes his final reading with the plane on fire, then I believe it fades to black then cuts to Whitehead once more, then cuts to black? I forget the exact sequence, but at least one part was a fade shot.

It was edited in a strange way that I almost felt it was an error from the projectionist haha. Just not exactly sure what the intent of that was. If instead they just did:

- Shot of plane on fire.
- Cut to Whitehead.
- Fade/cut to black.
- End credits: "DUNKIRK"

That would have been just fine. Not sure why there was a cut/fade to black quickly before going to Whitehead.
I think he tried to show the two faces of this moment in history. The victorious evacuation and the fact that the war isn't over... just the beginning. Farrier sacrifice itself (he was captures by germans) for the rest of the soldiers. For me was so emotional.

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natalie wrote:
MuffinMcFluffin wrote:Question about the ending for those who have seen the movie...
I'll be seeing it again tomorrow night to get a glimpse again, but does anyone understand why Nolan/Smith decided to edit this so that Whitehead finishes his final reading with the plane on fire, then I believe it fades to black then cuts to Whitehead once more, then cuts to black? I forget the exact sequence, but at least one part was a fade shot.

It was edited in a strange way that I almost felt it was an error from the projectionist haha. Just not exactly sure what the intent of that was. If instead they just did:

- Shot of plane on fire.
- Cut to Whitehead.
- Fade/cut to black.
- End credits: "DUNKIRK"

That would have been just fine. Not sure why there was a cut/fade to black quickly before going to Whitehead.
I think he tried to show the two faces of this moment in history. The victorious evacuation and the fact that the war isn't over... just the beginning. Farrier sacrifice itself (he was captures by germans) for the rest of the soldiers. For me was so emotional.
Ah, I like that idea actually (that it shows although the battle has ended, the war continues). I just forget if the sequence was had a fade to black, fade to Whitehead, fade to black (the second time), or all three of those.

If you've seen Spider-Man 2 [2004], I think that ending kind of matches what is going on here, without the black bit in between the two ending shots:



I think Nolan could have filmed it this way and maybe it would have had the same impact? Trying to decide why he considers the black in between to be of significant relevance.
Last edited by MuffinMcFluffin on July 21st, 2017, 3:00 am, edited 1 time in total.

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You can read my more official impressions here, but I texted this to my friend while the credits were rolling. I'll just type them here:

Going to have to sit on this one for a while. I am itching to re-watch it again on 70mm IMAX Thursday. I think this film requires it. So real, so old school. Nolan nailed exactly what he wanted to bring out. Very narrow in scope, but epic in tone. I do think an "extended cut" would be welcomed (though doesn't exist), even if used only for character development. I will accept Nolan's aim at focusing on the evacuation only, though. This is not a summer blockbuster at all, but it is a nice break from the norm, and IMO is a best picture contender. Hans Zimmer's score is my favorite feature of the film, and I think you will agree.
Last edited by MuffinMcFluffin on July 19th, 2017, 4:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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About to head out to Round 2 in IMAX 70mm. EXCITE

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Just watched it. I need to calm myself down. I couldn't bear the tension at some point.

And to those who said they didn't connect with the characters ... I mean WTF?

Anyway I need to breathe now.

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