The Citizens Mobilize

Rating: 9/10 (27 July 2017)

Dunkirk played a small part of that classic from the World War II years Mrs. Miniver. If you remember Walter Pidgeon took his small craft out and said he would be returning the next day. You then see his boat joining other small craft and then there's an armada of them heading down the Thames and out to sea. They were heading for Dunkirk and were going right up to the beaches where the large naval vessels couldn't go and taking several hundred thousand British soldiers and a few French who later became the basis for the Free French army headed by Charles DeGaulle.
There's's mention here of Winston Churchill and Sir Bertram Ramsey whom I believe was First Sea Lord. The only criticism I have of Dunkirk is that I would like to have had some scenes with the top decision makers as we saw in such films as Patton, MacArthur, The Longest Day, the Battle Of Britain, and others. Especially in The Longest Day we saw the ordinary soldiers and their story mixed with the brass and the critical decisions they were making.
On the plus side Dunkirk is a film wonderfully cast with several poignant stories about what was being done and the sacrifices made. My favorite is that of young Barry Keoghan all of 17 who comes on the small craft of Tom Rylance and his son Tom Glynn-Carney just to be part of a great adventure. His performance will bring a few tears to the eye. Of all in the film I hope young Mr. Keoghan will get some notice for a Supporting Actor Oscar.
No doubt Dunkirk is in line for some technical awards as well in addition to the big one. With 10 now in the race for Best Picture I have no doubt that Dunkirk will be one of the ten.
I've always loved the story of Dunkirk and how that island nation put aside its differences among the subjects and worked together to get that army off the beach. Make no mistake this was citizen mobilization at its finest. No matter what your views were unless you were an out and out Nazi sympathizer you knew what getting those troops home meant.
Nothing less than the fate of civilization itself.