Dunkirk: One of Nolan's finest films

WHEN you think of epic war films you think of blood, guts and grotesque violence, the natural horrors of war.

Film such as Saving Private Ryan and Hacksaw Ridge featured such horrific scenes and characters you couldn't help feel an emotional attachment to.

Christopher Nolan's (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Interstellar, Inception) latest film has none of that and that isn't a bad thing.

Instead, Dunkirk is an exploration of the psychological horrors of war and how it can strip away even the most basic forms of humanity.

Set during the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, Dunkirk tells three different stories.

On land Tommy (played by Fionn Whitehead) is under fire by Nazi soldiers on the streets of Dunkirk. He manages to escape to the beach, which the British and French manage to hold. He meets Gibson (Aneurin Barnard) and Alex (Harry Styles) while trying to escape from the beach.

On the sea, the Royal Navy is commandeering civilian vessels to use for the evacuation. Mr Dawson (Mark Rylance), his son Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney) and friend George (Barry Keoghan) decide to instead give their boat away, head to Dunkirk to help the trapped soldiers themselves. Along the way they meet a shell-shocked solider played excellently by Cillian Murphy.

In the air Farrier (Tom Hardy), Collins (Jack Lowdon) and their squadron leader provide aerial cover for the navy and the army.

The film intertwines these stories successfully, at times playing with time, which helps to create tension.

What sets Dunkirk apart from other films is its lack of emotional attachment.

With a number of the characters you only find out their name as the end credits role, or in the case of this review from Wikipedia. You don't know who they are during the film.

This lack of attachment, and the way Nolan uses the intertwining story lines and playing with times makes Dunkirk one of the best war films that has been seen on the big screen.

Dunkirk is out now at the Kingaroy Satellite Cinema.

Verdict: Five stars.