Shane
In war, no one benefits.
Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan’s depiction of Operation Dynamo which took place on the shores of Dunkirk during the early period of World War II certainly impacts on viewers. Taking a three-way perspective the film unveils the battle via land, sea and air.
A military manoeuvre where 400, 000 soldiers were stranded in Dunkirk, in an attempt to push back the German forces from France.
Soldiers from Britain, France, Canada and Belgium await their fate without provisions or shelter across the shoreline, being able to see Britain, home, safety across the ocean channel but seemingly with no viable evacuation, despite Naval Captain Collins’ (Kenneth Branagh) that he will get the men back to safety.
Unable to go forward and unable to go back, they are pinned down and incessantly fired upon.
For every Red Cross frigate and Gunboat that makes it to Dunkirk is sunk by the enemy.
One at a time they come and one at a time they are destroyed.
British airmen in their Spitfires patrol the waters, at their own peril with the aim to protect the rescue attempt. But even then what they are tasked with goes against the might of the enemy forces.
Dunkirk the film strays away from the bloodshed that we have seen in prior war based films and instead uses a mix of soundtrack and handheld camera techniques to really hit audiences hard with the psychological stress that those fighting for our freedom undergo.
With the evacuation attempts futile, the British naval forces call on civilians to assist.
And here we see true heroism and absolute determination as fishing trawlers manned by fisherman, leisure boats, small dingys and more cross the British / France channel to bring the men home, all the while under fire themselves.
Dunkirk sees a stellar performance from relatively newcomer; Fionn Whitehead who plays Tommy, a young British soldier who not only struggles to survive but during the most difficult times, strives to do the right thing.
It is a raw and visceral film and applauds the extraordinary rescue of almost half a million soldiers by everyday civilians who put their lives on the line to bring the boys home.
Year: 2017
Rating: R16
Running Time: 106 MIN
Genre: Drama, Action
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Tom Glynn-Carney, Jack Lowden, Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, James D'Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy
Production Studio: Syncopy Inc.
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures</p