A story that fails to go anywhere; An extremely disappointing missed opportunity.

Rating: 4/10 (31 July 2017)

Dunkirk is over-saturated with close-ups on actors, unnecessary filler, plagued by a pointless plot that goes absolutely nowhere, and leaves the audience wondering what in the world they had just watched. The French were merely alluded to, and the Germans barely made appearance.
At least, one could say that there was an attempt at making a different kind of war film. Opposed to showing the grit and highlighting the horrors of war, Dunkirk tried to be a war-drama - It did not work. A slow, impotent script, plus a boring, uncompelling cast of characters leaves me no choice but to poorly rate a film that should have been a masterpiece.
If I told you that the first twenty minutes of a movie follows two men running around carrying a stretcher, would you want to go see it? I would pray your response would be no. Suspense is a beautiful thing while being done correctly, but if by an hour into a movie the viewer is still wondering: "When is something going to happen?", there is well beyond too much suspense.
There was a lot of history to grasp from, including the inner turmoil that Dunkirk stirred among the Nazis. There was Churchill's famous speech, the French, whom helped a hell of a lot more than what the movie showed. This movie seemed little more than patriotic, as if the British are pining for more praise.
What seemed like a highlight reel of pretty camera shots, actor head- shots, and fancy editing tricks, missed the mark entirely. A war movie should make it's audience sad, maybe even a little angry. All Dunkirk did or me was made me feel immensely disappointed. This movie is not worth your money, and frankly, is unmemorable. Just watch Black Hawk Down or Hacksaw Ridge if you want to watch a decent war film. You'll get way more out of those two films.
Cheers.