Dunkirk Disappoints

Rating: 4/10 (23 July 2017)

Too much confusion due to swift cuts between drowning, crashing, and being blown up. No narrative line just two, three, (or are there five?) smaller tales. If you are expecting any historical value, forget it. Dunkirk may catch the mood of the evacuation with its confusion and frantic pace, but there are no explanations of the action. Oh, Branagh— being stoic and heroic—does try a few words about what's going on. Have to give the actors credit for spending a lot of time being very wet. Aerial sequences are good, but I'm soft about Spitfires. Problem is, airplanes keep appearing when you thought they had crashed a couple of scenes before. Have not yet checked on actual air combat at Dieppe, but willing to bet it was not as much as in the flik. Also featured are two very stupid pilots—you're supposed to open your canopy before crashing or ditching—and a Spitfire with engine-out glide characteristics better than a high performance sailplane. An expensive waste of effort.