Dunkirk: Met a Genuine Dunkirk Veteran at my Screening!

Rating: 10/10 (24 July 2017)

Before we talk about the film let me tell you about the cinema visit. At my screening were a group of elderly men from the Royal British Legion, who were setting up a table in the cinema foyer. Displayed were a framed set of medals, a small black n white photo of a young soldier and sat to one side a very old man in a smart grey suit... You're already ahead of me, the photo and the old man were the same person.
I must have seemed curious enough to prompt a 'carer' to speak to me "Do you want to meet a genuine Dunkirk veteran?" Though not sure what to say I agreed, assuming that a hand-shake would suffice. But NO! The old boy was still bright as a button, his hand-shake was frail, his hand thin, bony, and gnarly. The veteran was about to see the film but I was still able to ask a few questions.
"How old were you in the photo?". The answer was 20. "How old are you now?" The answer was 99. "Was the evacuation with small boats and dinghies exaggerated?" The reply "No, I was actually evacuated in a rowing boat". The veteran received a very well deserved standing ovation when the film ended. >> I just wanted to share that with you. Now back to the film review!
This is an epic WW2 suspense thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan. This is based on a pivotal wartime historical event, a survival story about the evacuation of 400,000 soldiers who were essentially 'sitting ducks' on the Dunkirk beaches.
This film is all about the experience from three different perspectives, not the characters or their egos. If you want to see a film concerning character development then re-watch your 'Saving Private Ryan' DVD.
What was particularly clever were the three interwoven plots very clearly depicting the situation through three parallel timelines. 1-The story in the Air (duration= 1 hour) Tom Hardy is featured as a Spitfire pilot. 2-The story in the Water (duration= 1 day) Mark Rylance is featured as a civilian boat captain. 3-The story on Land (duration= 1 week) Kenneth Branagh is a British Office co-ordinating the evacuation efforts and troops on the beach.
The vast crowds of soldiers could have been any young men. It could have been me and you, and makes you wonder what you would have done. How you may have felt and reacted?
Though there must have been some GCI, it was very difficult to identify! There was hardly any dialogue, but I'm convinced that this is how frightened individuals in hopeless situations would behave. This is a visually stunning, immersive, very large scale epic which left me emotionally exhausted. This film must be seen on the largest pin sharp screen available. I saw it on a standard screen at my local Cineworld and immediately re-booked to see again in 70mm IMAX.
Very highly recommended.