Dunkirk (2017)

Three separate storylines, reminiscent of INCEPTION, are blended together to tell what happened to soldiers blocked off from rescue during World War II. The first one follows Tommy, a soldier who runs to the beach to escape gunfire. He pretends to be a medic to get a wounded man on board a ship but is denied. Let's switch to the boat. They have two lads on board and are within distance of Dunkirk and proceed to go there but see a soldier, shellshocked, in the drink and hoist him in. There is a close-up on his face when they tell him they are headed to Dunkirk. He has other ideas. Let's switch now to the third story where a pilot has trouble with a broken fuel gauge. He ends up crashing in the ocean and may die since he can't open his overhead canopy. Mum's the word. DUNKIRK keeps weaving the three plot-lines together like what was done in INCEPTION, which builds drama as to what will happen at the end. The advertising for the movie gave too much away but I won't. One of the lads loses his sight and dies. This was an honest element to bring in the film; we need to have whatever bond we felt for him broken to add reality to the grimness and finality of war. Summer's best film and kewl underwater action sequence. [4.4 stars]