Review of Dunkirk (2017) by Lesley W — 20 Jul 2017

This is one of the most impressive war films I've ever seen. The viewer is immersed in the chaos, desperation, fear and adrenaline. There is limited dialogue, no `back stories' - you don't even know what the characters names are until the credits roll.

Unusual for the genre, this is a film about a catastrophic defeat. There is an assumed knowledge of the context and circumstances that have lead to this moment in time. The BEF were woefully unprepared, with limited training and using badly outdated equipment, they were no match for the efficient, highly trained German forces who had superior equipment and technology.

These were not professional soldiers - mainly raw and green recruits. What the film doesn't show is the break down in discipline and the shambolic retreat to Dunkirk, and the horrors inflicted on not just the fighting men but refugees fleeing the advancing German military.

It also does not show that 40,000-68,000 rearguard BEF, French and Belgian troops were left behind, arriving at the beach too late for transport to take them to safety. What it does show is how young and inexperienced the soldiers are, and their desperation, terror and despair.

The most well formed characters are the older men - Mark Rylance's Mr. Dawson and Kenneth Branagh's Commander Bolton. They represent integrity and courage with a strong emphasis on doing one's duty.

There are 3 separate stories that are played in non-linear fashion, intersecting throughout the film. Events depicted are based on witness accounts and composites of people involved in the evacuation of Dunkirk.

There is no sentimentality - it's gritty, unrelenting and visceral. The dogfight scenes over the Channel are incredible, it is like being in the cockpit with the pilot. I was on the edge of my seat.

The score by Hans Zimmer adds to the tension - it's a remarkable piece of work. The ending of the film which features one of the traumatised young soldiers reading Churchill's famous `We shall never surrender' propaganda speech from newspaper headlines is deeply affecting.

The director has done this national myth justice - it's understated and simple, yet incredibly powerful.