undeniable skills

Rating: 8/10 (3 March 2018)

It's 1940. Allied forces are trapped around the beaches of Dunkirk. Naval Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh) organizes the evacuation from the pier. Tommy is the last survivor of his squad. With another soldier, they pretend to be stretcher bearers to sneak onto the medical ship. Farrier (Tom Hardy) flies one of 3 Spitfires into action. Dawson (Mark Rylance) with his son Peter and friend George Mills pilot his pleasure craft to the rescue. They find a survivor (Cillian Murphy) from a sunken vessel.
Christopher Nolan delivers a visual film of compelling action. He uses great silences. The flying sequences are impeccable. The sea action is compelling with some real ships. I have a bit of hesitation with the portrayal of some of the soldiers. The Cillian Murphy character is perfectly fine as a soldier suffering PTSD. If he's the only one, it would be a very compelling portrayal but Nolan puts in too many. I'm also willing to accept Tommy's lies to escape. It's not until the beached boat where there seems to be a problem. I can understand the Lord of the Flies mentality. With Germans taking potshots at them, there are two logical moves. They could either go out and fight or hide and wait. They have guns and fighting is possible. There is no logical reason to kick out Frenchie which would only prove their existence in the boat. They are acting irrationally which is excusable but Tommy needs to call it out. I would also want a separate section with soldiers fighting rear guard action. Tommy's tale could be so different and more action packed if he stayed to fight for a little while. Overall, Nolan's film-making skills are undeniable and this is a compelling exploration of this historical event.