Version I saw: UK cinema release (2D) Actors: 6/10 Plot/script: 7/10 Photography/visual style: 7/10 Music/score: 8/10 Overall: 7/10

It seems that each Christopher Nolan film since Inception has seen a decreasing return in plaudits than the previous one, and Dunkirk is no exception, but there is still a large cadre of film fans for whom he has yet to put a foot wrong.

Dunkirk is his war drama about one of the most famous incidents in British history. Nolan depicts it using a trademark of his: non-linear storytelling. He splits the events into three narrative strands, each covering one of the theatres of war, and each set over a different timescale. Harry Styles is a soldier on the land, in events that take place over the course of a week. Mark Rylance is an amateur yachtsman drafted into the effort on the seas, seen over the one day. Tom Hardy is a pilot in the air during the most critical hour of the operation.

Here, Nolan took on a whole range of difficult tasks - managing the timescales, negotiating the challenges of filming in difficult conditions, and more - but on the whole, he makes it look effortless.

Yes, there is a bit of a lull in the middle, especially in the see and air strands, and I can slightly understand some viewers losing enthusiasm over this segment, but I was carried, thanks partly to Hans Zimmer's fantastic score. He weaves a constant ticking sound in and out of the soundscape that maintains and then steadily builds tension to a resounding emotional crescendo.

As all three strands reach their climaxes at the same time, I felt my heart squeezed, thrashed about, and ultimately lifted. As an illustration of a historic event to a modern audience who view it with some distance, Dunkirk is very good. As a nail-biting, tense tale of peril and inspiring heroism, it is superb. You have to focus, and be a bit patient during the initial build-up, but by golly, it is worth it!

For my full review, see my independent film weblog on Blogspot, Cinema Inferno.