A late-evening palate cleanser from the last era in which the the U.S. and Russia were allies — of necessity. Here’s hoping the coming entente with Moscow’s new dictator is just as fruitful.

It’s one of the most momentous battles of World War II as imagined by Christopher Nolan. What more do you need to know? Maybe only this: There’s a stroke of genius involved here in casting British boy-band heartthrob Harry Styles as one of the soldiers. Many Americans won’t know him but he’s a big — big — celebrity in the UK, with nearly 30 million followers on Twitter. Kids who wouldn’t have thought twice about sitting through a historical drama will line up for Styles. It’s a clever way for Nolan to have expanded the audience for a movie like this.