Dunkirk : Christopher Nolan's war epic is a Spectacular Tour de Force.

Dunkirk opens up with six privates walking on a deserted street in Northern France. We see one of them pausing to take a smoke only to be showered by an onslaught of bullets. Germans have successfully pushed French and British to the beaches while the trapped 400,000 men have limited means of escape. This is all the film stands on. Completely devoid of backstory and the historical specifics of World War II, Dunkirk puts us right in the moment. The plot is simple but the execution is not. Writer-director Christopher Nolan writes a screenplay fueled by claustrophobia and a powerful urge to survive the battle. His past films radiate his non-linear storytelling with the accurate blend of emotion and suspense. However, here he chooses to play with time instead. The audience is unburdened by unnecessary plot-twists and overwritten dialogues. Instead their mind is trained to adjust to the temporal complexities that distinguish between the movements on land, air and sea against the Hans Zimmer's sound mixing that act as a lament to the overwhelming terror.

Shot on a large format film, we see the young soldiers scattered on the beach, evading the bomb explosions and bullets. There is no blood and gore but the image of terror itself is a gut-wrenching experience. The film gives you a picture of the suffering and the immense pressure which is generated by their deepest desire to live. It is not a sight of defeat and chagrin but a celebration of the triumph in getting the wounded and the stranded out of the war zone. References to Prime Minister Churchill are the mere indications of his growing concern over the ebbing military muscle. Named 'Operation Dynamo', the 1940 evacuation had its share of contributors. The British Navy requisitioned civilian boats for the rescue operation wherein we meet Mark Rylance as Dawson, an old-timer who lost his eldest son during the early weeks of war. Aided by his son Peter and a young hand named George, he is determined in bringing the desolate back home safely amidst the resistance from a rescued shell-shocked soldier. The skies are patrolled by SpitFires; one of which is piloted by RAF pilot Farrier (Tom Hardy) who at the risk of degrading fuel, keeps the enemy jets from dismantling the destitution that lay beneath. Then there was towering persona Admiral Bolton played by Kenneth Branagh who was the pier-master during evacuation. These were men who ran the show. However, the biggest contributor here is Christopher Nolan. He has handpicked a compressed yet significant incident of the war and subjected it to a complex yet a visceral treatment. He disposes of the use of CGI and keeps the dialogue minimal to give the visual portrait of isolation, fear and distress. He has craftily managed to give you three individual tales taking place in their own time zones and locations converging only at one point; survival.

When it comes war movies, I have a very selective list which includes the likes of Oliver Hirschbiegel's Downfall ,  Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket and Steven Speilberg's Saving Private Ryan. However Dunkirk provides a more realistic imagery of war in a much smaller space.

9 on 10 stars 

High on ambition but low on craft , Bahubali 2 brushes greatness but fails to embrace it.

Bahubali 2: The Conclusion was always on people's mind after the the prequel left them dangling with a question which inspired tons of memes and jokes. S Rajamouli's Bahubali 2 puts an end to this very question ' Katappa ne Bahubali ko kyu maara ? '. The film looks magnificent enough to attract hordes of crowds to cinema houses. It is a known fact that the cash registers are set to overflow with the release of this film. However, as a cinephile, I wanted a thorough examination of the film's structure as I wore the monocle of a critic to make a deep diagnosis into the plot.

Bahubali 2 is coruscant creation of Rajamouli. He is not scared to dream the impossible and he uses all the tools at his disposal to make the film grander than its prequel. There are slow motion shots and dialogues delivered at a higher decibel enough to fuel the gut-wrenching feel among the audience. Mahishmathi kingdom, created through computer graphics is an eye candy and generates a sense of wonder. There are palm trees used as sheer catapults, bulls charging at the enemy with their flamed horns and a ship which flies. There is no limit to Rajamouli's horizons as he conducts a surreal visual treatment of the frames. Though it seem bizarre in the real world, you are filled with nothing except pure delight .The film keeps you grounded as the plot delves into the life of a warrior Amrendra Bahubali (Prabhas). Amrendra is good-hearted man and a sinewy fighter, a very rare but potent mixture of power and goodness. He can control an elephant, fire three arrows at a time, lift up a carriage all by himself and I must say Kudos to Prabhas. Nothing that Bahubali does seems impossible and all thanks to his realistic portrayal.

Turning towards the negative parts of the film, I would first pick the narrative. It is banal and written with convenience rather than smartness. On the other hand, you will be overly satisfied because it is a bit too much. Rajamouli must have been adamant on finishing this project anyhow that he simply stuffed the plot in 2 hour 50 minute duration. It is completely exhausting after a point and could have been avoided. Bahubali and Devasena's ( Anushka Shetty) romance takes too much of the screen time and it is not pleasing too. It is slapstick and at some points just plain stupid. The film does boast of strong female characters Sivgami (played by Ramya Krishnan) and Devasena. Their conflicting ideologies are the sole foundation of the story.  Underneath the magnificence of Mahishmati lies the sinister plan; a conspiracy to overthrow Bahubali and make Bhallaldeva (Rana), the ruler. Rana Dagubatti as the villain Bhallaldeva is convincing but he doesn't make an impact as great as Prabhas. He is tyrannical with his evil mind games to meet his objectives. He even stoops to perfidy of attacking his own mother Sivgami. The characters are strong but plot sticks to the formula. It is not an experimental movie as the sky-high budget sure discourages experiments too. And now, the unsolved mystery for which the footfalls in the theatre will increase dramatically isnt solved promisingly. Infact with a little sensibility, you can spot it from a mile away.

 Bahubali 2 might be excessively long but it isn't lacklustre. It sure goes down in the list of my guilt-pleasures.


Rating: 5 on 10 stars