One of my all-time favorite directors, Christopher Nolan, dawns the screen with an emotional, riveting, and captivating essence with this “World War II” drama-thriller. Unlike other war epics, Dunkirk has unrelenting heart and succeeds as a detailed and emotional film. However, there is something a little queasy surrounding this film. It’s the constant reliability of the open waters of the English Channel. Nolan proves once again in his film-making that he is a force to be reckoned with in 21st century cinema and the war film genre.

What makes the film victorious, despite the sense of nausea, is a beautiful score from frequent collaborator to Nolan, maestro Hans Zimmer. Zimmer uses edge-of-your-seat techniques such as the ticking of a pocket watch to really get the audience in suspense. His score is as thrilling as the film itself. The score is one of the highlights of this film and that’s something to keep note of. If you don’t like a films with little or no dialogue, then, this is not the film for you. I think that because of the persistency of the action and music, this film succeeds on that dialogue dilemma.

It may come as a shock that One Direction singer and heartthrob Harry Styles is in this film and does a nice job in his role as a British soldier. He doesn’t have many lines but he is as effective as the rest of the cast.  On the other hand, other members of the cast prove to have dramatic influences on the film.

This film does get a little stressful in the aspects of the suspenseful score and its constant sounds of war. Dunkirk has artificial special effects that draw audiences into the film, truly genuine. What this film does right is the depiction of such war and destruction. Even though some viewers may not know much about what was known as “Operation Dynamo,” this film is an excellent and if not a little stressful reenactment of one of the sacrificial wars in human history.