Tom Hardy, Harry Styles are under fire and water in explosive Dunkirk teaser

Christopher Nolan has said his latest WWII-set film, Dunkirk, is not your typical war movie, though its new teaser promises plenty of period-dressed conflict.

The enemy and the elements are working against the soldiers at the center of Nolan’s story in the new clip, which offers a tense glimpse at the explosive 1940 evacuation of the titular region of France, which marked an integral moment during the war and saw more than 300,000 Allied troops safely traverse the English Channel after being cornered by their opponents.

Dunkirk‘s latest footage previews violent clashes of armed forces and the harrowing aftermath, including claustrophobic shots from inside a sinking ship, air raids, a fierce shootout amid narrow city streets, and one soldier’s (Harry Styles) attempts to escape a watery grave.

“I kept coming back to the firsthand accounts, with people describing the sights and sounds of being on that beach, or being up in a plane above that beach, or being on a boat coming across to help the situation,” Nolan previously told EW of his inspiration for the film. “I think the confusion, not knowing what’s really going on, was one of the most frightening and disturbing things for people.”

Dunkirk, which also stars Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh, James D’Arcy, and Mark Rylance, hits theaters July 21. Watch the new teaser above.