Well told, dramatic and moving, if abstracted, story of a key WWII moment.

Rating: 5/10 (30 July 2017)

The beginning of this obviously genuine and heartfelt version of an emblematic story of the broader British narrative within WWII seemed confused and out of time (I even wondered at the scenes of Dunkirk seafront which seemed to look as it does today, full of late 20c buildings)! Such distinct lack of context early on seemed deliberate (those who don't know this part of WWII history may take a while to be hooked) there was no mention of the Nazi war machine, or even the Germans, the ill defined and absent of menace foe was only briefly referred to, and then just by that almost passive verb 'enemy'. Sensitivity to our own time perhaps robbed the early narrative of immediate tension, and subsequently required a much longer build towards any real emotional involvement.The device of weaving the three services into a single set of events was an effective and engaging one, although director Nolans ever present commitment to convoluted story telling sometimes led to this viewer playing catch-up with which protagonist was where and at what point in the time line of the story. As one would expect from a director with his credentials, Nolans delivery and handling of action scenes was always impressive, but as the story unfolded and we started to gather some more intimate knowledge of the characters, and the complexity of the reality of the individual protagonists stories, as well as the moral fudging that is of necessity a part of war, this became an appropriately dramatic film and an ultimately satisfying version of one of the defining moments of the conflict, with enough emotional wallop to bring a tear or two to the eye. Rylance channelling the late and much missed Sir John Mills brought an Everyman integrity to the role that most reflected the story of the 'little fleet' that we know represented the best spirit of the British home front. All in all a very good film prevented from greatness only by an apparent unwillingness to fix the story fully in its time and place.