Be forewarned, this movie can be insanely confusing. There are three vignettes operating during this film: a pilot trying to keep the Luftwaffe at bay (while rescue attempts for the waiting soldiers on the beach are being made), a private citizen and his sons, who are lending a heroic hand to the survivors of sinking ships, and a small group of soldiers who are young, frightened, and only wish to get back home.
Time doesn’t run linearly during the many battle scenes. We know this, because one scene can be taking place at night, and the following scene is during the day. I understand this is the trademark of a Christopher Nolan film.
Dialog is sparse, and frequently can’t be understood because of the external sounds of war. The movie seems to depend on the facial expressions of the frightened men to know what’s going on in their minds – and it works beautifully.
Join the PERA (Personal Entertainment Research Assistant) waitlist.
The World's Most Indispensable Movie App
The RunPee app tells you the best times to
run & pee during a movie
so you don't miss the best scenes.
Download the RunPee app.
100% free (donation supported)
I might add that if you’re not familiar with the Battle of Dunkirk, you may want to read a short article in Wikipedia that will help you gain insight into this dreadful event.
If you’re a fan of Christopher Nolan, you won’t be disappointed.
What people are saying
about the RunPee app.
Brilliant idea with great information
I’ve been using RunPee for a few years now and it’s basically a requirement of going to the movies for me. The best part of course are the “pee times” that give you cues, synopses and times for when you can pee without missing the most important parts of the movie. There is also information about the credits- length, extras and if there are any extra scenes at the wayyy end. Super helpful to just know that it is or isn’t worth staying. There is a timer function that will buzz your phone when it’s a good time to pee. I also appreciate that the app is very conscientious about it being an app you use in a theater- dark background, all silent alarms etc. I will always enjoy the experience of the theater even if I could watch things at home- but I’ve even used it at home to check for things like after credit scenes or other information too.
View all reviews
Apple App Store | Google Play Store
Download RunPee app
Movie Grade: A
RunPee Mom is our emotional bedrock. Without her, RunPee never would have lasted a decade as an app (which is since the dawn of time in internet years). She’s our biggest cheerleader and an unending source of unconditional love. She works cheerfully and tirelessly, seeing any movie we ask of her, writing interesting reviews, and being our…well…MOM. Her genres of choice: kiddie flicks, animated movies, emotional dramas, historical features, war films, diverse biographies, and even dense, diabolically plotted thrillers. She knows more about famous and infamous figures in history than said figures probably knew about themselves. She’s the Quiz Manager for the RunPee.com blog, and our resident movie celebrity/trivia expert. If you’ve taken a RunPee Quiz, you’ve most likely been given a virtual hug by RunPee Mom.




I’ll be curious if this movie sticks close to the historical events, even if it bends time a bit. It doesn’t seem like a typical Nolan topic, so this might be a passion project for him.
Comments are closed.