Warner Bros released a slew of new TV spots for Dunkirk to tease its themes of survival. Christopher Nolan's latest will tell the story of the famous World War II evacuation and rescue mission in France, depicting the intense pressure facing Allied troops as the German army closed in on them. The movie will recount the events and follow its ensemble cast from three different points of view: land, air, and sea.
For the Allied Forces, the Battle of Dunkirk was not necessarily about victory, but survival. Nolan himself has described the successful evacuation as a "colossal victory" on a human scale, despite being a military defeat. Winston Churchill was able to tout his troops' survival as a win in itself. Hence, a series of new banners and TV spots for the movie put heavy emphasis on the tagline, "Survival is Victory."
IGN exclusively revealed three new banners to promote Dunkirk on Monday, all of which correspond to three new 15-second TV spots that give quick glimpses into the Allied troops' struggle for survival. Take a look at the banners:
The first TV spot is simply called "Hunted," and spotlights Tom Hardy as a pilot who finds himself locked in a potentially deadly dogfight. The second TV spot is called "Trapped" and highlights a group of soldiers stuck inside a sinking ship. The third TV spot, titled "Surrounded," depicts Fionn Whitehead as Tommy, a soldier who struggles with a jammed rifle while German troops fire at him. Plus, a fourth TV spot, a 30-second preview called "Time" [above], counts down from 10 as it splices all of the different points of view together, highlighting the urgency of the mission and the Allies' survival.
All of the TV spots tease what appear to be some truly hair-raising scenes as the troops battle for survival in all areas. The tension in each of the clips is palpable, even within the confines of 15 seconds and without the aid of context, and they bring viewers intensely close to the action. Although the outcome of the battle itself is already known, the fate of the movie's many characters will be in the balance. If anything, Dunkirk appears destined to be a showcase for Nolan's gifts for spectacular visuals and relentless suspense.
Dunkirk will certainly be a different kind of war movie. Carrying a PG-13 rating, it will not depict the same kind of bloodshed seen in movies like Saving Private Ryan or Hacksaw Ridge or countless others in between. Nolan has said that Dunkirk is "not a war film" but "a survival story and first and foremost a suspense film." That may disappoint moviegoers expecting a more unflinchingly graphic depiction of war - but the movie is built on the idea that "Survival is Victory," and if Nolan can achieve a similar level of suspense seen in his best work, Dunkirk has a chance to be his latest triumph.
Next: New Dunkirk Poster Gets Close to the Action
Sources: IGN, Warner Bros.
