An Epic Christopher Nolan Movie Is Crushing It On Netflix

Christopher Nolan is an iconic filmmaker and has been involved in multiple films throughout his career

By Jacqueline Lindenberg | Published

Christopher Nolan

Christopher Nolan is an iconic filmmaker and has been involved in multiple films throughout his career, such as The Dark Knight and Inception. When Nolan is involved in a production, the movie is bound to be incredibly well directed and well made. Although all of Nolan’s films are quite entertaining, one of his movies is currently dominating on Netflix. Dunkirk was released in 2017 and revolved around World War II soldiers trying to escape the beaches of Dunkirk. The film told an incredible story based on true events, with great attention to detail from that time period. So, overall, it makes perfect sense that Dunkirk is one of the highly watched films currently on Netflix. 

Dunkirk was released in theaters in 2017. The film starred actors such as Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Fionn Whitehead, and Kenneth Branagh. The movie was not only directed by Christopher Nolan, but also written and produced by him. The premise revolves around the harrowing evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk. The movie showcases the evacuation from the soldiers’ perspective on land, but also from the pilot’s viewpoint and also soldiers at sea. The direction was done in a way that drew an audience in from beginning to end. Although the movie is a war film, the movie doesn’t focus purely on fighting and gore. Instead, Nolan does an amazing job of telling the story of Dunkirk and the various situations that occurred in a compelling way. 

tom hardy christopher nolan dunkirk
Tom Hardy in Dunkirk

Upon its initial release, Dunkirk received a high number of positive reviews for the performances from the cast, to the spot-on direction. Christopher Nolan did well to stay close to the historical aspects of World War II. Overall, the film is currently the highest-grossing World War II movie, and made a total of almost $527 million in the box office. The movie had a budget estimated to be around $100-$150 million. Nolan took the premise of the film seriously and wanted to tell a story, rather than just strictly showing the perils of war. In an interview with Variety when Dunkirk was initially being released, Nolan discussed what he was aiming to create when making the film. “I didn’t view this as a war film…I viewed it as a survival story.” 

Christopher Nolan’s hard work paid off in the end. Critics and audiences gave positive reviews of the film and it became a high grossing success. There are some scenes where there is little to no dialogue, drawing the audience in more to better focus on the anxieties of trying to escape a war zone. Some of the filming actually took place at the actual location of Dunkirk, which added to the authenticity of the movie. After its release, the film received great accolades, but also a large number of award nominations, too. On IMDb, the movie has a score of 7.8, and an audience score of 81% on Rotten Tomatoes

dunkirk netflix streaming

The film received important nominations such as Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Christopher Nolan’s movie received an Academy Award for Best Film Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Sound Editing. The film still has an effect on audiences to this day, especially since it is currently on the top ten list on Netflix. The film gives accurate details on the historical aspects of the evacuation of Allied soldiers from Dunkirk, such as the warplanes used and the timeline of events during that point in history. 

Christopher Nolan has a great mind for creativity and accuracy when it comes to his films. Nolan has been part of films that have garnered critical acclaim, such as Tenet, Interstellar, and Batman Begins. He’s currently working on Oppenheimer. Like Dunkirk, his next project is also based on true-life events, this time surrounding J. Robert Oppenheimer. The new movie will also star Cillian Murphy, and a star-studded cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, and more.

For a film that tells a specific story about World War II, Dunkirk embodies a well made film that can entertain people of all ages. The screenwriting, acting, and direction make the film as successful as it is. The film is one of those movies that can be watched and re-watched for years to come, since the historical facts, for the most part, are very accurate. The film can currently be streamed on Netflix, so it is best to watch it now to see one of Nolan’s best pictures.