Watch the Intense First Trailer for Christopher Nolan’s WWII Epic ‘Dunkirk’

The groundbreaking director takes on history.

Christopher Nolan, the audacious director of mind-bending epics Interstellar, the Dark Knight and Memento, debuted the first full-length trailer for his next film, the WWII war drama Dunkirk.

As revealed in the title, the film centers on the events at Dunkirk in Northern Belgium, wherein Allied soldiers were miraculously rescued after being besieged by Nazi troops (light spoiler!). A brigade of the U.K.’s most esteemed actors—Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance—play British soldiers of varying ranks and fates.

Although the sweeping scope and spectacular violence are recognizably Nolan, the historical significance of the subject matter is a new feat for the acclaimed director.

Dunkirk will hit theaters on July 21, 2017.