Dunkirk is a historical war thriller film written, directed, and co-produced by Christopher Nolan that depicts the Dunkirk evacuation of World War II from the perspectives of the land, sea, and air. The film portrays the evacuation with little dialogue, as Nolan sought instead to create suspense through cinematography and music.
Filming began in May in Dunkirk and wrapped that September in Los Angeles, when post-production began. Dunkirk has extensive practical effects. It employed thousands of extras as well as historic boats from the evacuation, and period aeroplanes. Distributed by Warner Bros. Dunkirk received praise for its screenplay, direction, editing, score, sound design and cinematography; some critics called it Nolan's best work, and one of the greatest war films as well as one of the greatest movies of the s.
In , during the Battle of France , Allied soldiers retreat to Dunkirk encircled by the enemy. Tommy flees through the perimeter held by French troops to the beach, where thousands await evacuation, and helps Gibson to bury a body.
After Luftwaffe dive-bombers attack, they attempt to board a hospital ship at the single, vulnerable mole available for embarking on deep- draft ships, by rushing a wounded man on a stretcher but are ordered off. The ship is sunk by dive bombers; Tommy saves a Highlanders regiment soldier, Alex.
The three board a destroyer , but it is hit by a torpedo before it can depart; Gibson saves Tommy and Alex as the ship sinks, and they return to the beach. The Royal Navy requisitions civilian vessels in England to get to Dunkirk. In Weymouth , civilian sailor Dawson, with his son Peter, set out in his boat Moonstone , rather than let the Navy commandeer her. Their teenage hand George joins them on impulse. In the English Channel , they save a shivering shell-shocked soldier from a ship destroyed by a U-boat.
