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Alex (Dunkirk 2017)

Alex is a fictional character in the Christopher Nolan movie Dunkirk portrayed by Harry Styles. Throughout the film, Alex's last name is never revealed. Dunkirk is a 2017 war film that depicts the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II. The film follows different plots from three perspectives: land, sea, and air. As the film progresses the plots intertwine, Alex's plotline takes place on land and sea.

Casting

Harry Styles acted in Dunkirk among many other recognizable faces such as Tom Hardy, Tom Glynn-Carney, Fionn Whitehead, Jack Lowden, Aneurin Barnard, James D'Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, and Mark Rylance.

While there was a small controversy after the announcement of Harry Styles role in the film, Nolan claimed, "I don't think I was that aware really of how famous Harry was." Co-star Mark Rylance also commented on Styles fame bringing up his 11 year old niece, "She was just more excited than anything I've ever done because I was going to be acting with Harry Styles." Still Nolan stood by the pop star saying, "The truth is, I cast Harry because he fit the part wonderfully and truly earned a seat at the table." Nolan even compared his casting choice with casting Heath Ledger as The Joker, "When I cast Heath Ledger as the Joker it raised a lot of eyebrows and caused a lot of comment...I have to trust my instincts, and Harry was perfect for this part. He pulled it off with incredible grace and reality."

Reaction

While fans and critics where apprehensive of Nolans casting choice of the ex-boy band member Nolan proved to have made a great choice with reviews of Styles acting. In regards to Harry Styles performance many respected film critics and film publishers has only positive remarks. Empire wrote "an impressive debut performance, and definitely not the Rihanna-in-Battleship debacle you may have feared." The Guardian wrote that Styles, "[made] a perfectly strong acting debut."

Dunkirk has a rating of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and grossed $526.9 million in the box office worldwide.

Screen Time

Alex doesn't appear on screen until after 30 minutes of the film. He makes a dramatic appearance getting saved from a sinking ship. He is seen with the main character traveling from boat to boat while soaking wet. Alex does not speak until he eats toast and jam and a fellow soldier refuses to eat, his first line being, "What's wrong with your friend?" The soldiers aboard are forced to abandon ship again but this time Alex does not find a new ship and swims to the shore of Dunkirk. Alex sleeps on the shore and in the morning joins a group of soldiers to a beached boat in an effort to find cover and wait for the tide to rise and take the boat to the sea. While waiting for the tide the boat suddenly is shot at, leaving dozens of holes along the wall. Alex tells the other soldiers to plug the holes as the tide began to rise, however in doing so one soldier is shot. The next idea Alex offers is for someone to "get off" the ship in order to stay afloat, despite the dozens of bullet holes. The scene becomes increasingly intense as Alex offers the solider he suspects to be a German spy get off the boat as tribute and points a gun at him for encouragement. Because the accused soldier hasn't spoken Alex says, "He don’t speak English. If he does, it’s with an accent thicker than sauerkraut sauce!” It is then revealed that the solider is French, or as Alex puts it, "He's a bloody frog!" Another soldier argues with Alex that he wasn't being fair to which Alex responds, "Survival isn't fair." As the boat quickly fills with water the soldiers try to plug the holes with their fingers which does not work and they begin to flee, leaving a solider to drown behind him. Alex and other soldiers are rescued in the ocean by a civilian volunteer boat, intersecting two plot lines that until that time had been separate. Alex and the others make it back to Britain but the soldiers are still too shell shocked and wounded to appreciate the warm welcome home. A civilian offers Alex a blanket while telling him "well done" and Alex replies saying "All we did is survive." The man responds "that's enough" but Alex does not accept the blanket and when on a train says to the other main soldier, "That old bloke wouldn't even look us in the eye." Alex then falls asleep on the train to wake up seeing kids handing out newspapers. He sticks his head out of the window to ask the boys for one, however, he "can't bear" to read the updates of the war. A man bangs on the window of the train while the other soldier reads the paper. Alex ignores the man until noticing he offers them beer, Alex takes two. Category:Harry Styles