The film portrays the evacuation with little dialogue, as Nolan sought instead to create suspense throughcinematography andmusic. Filming began in May 2016 inDunkirk and wrapped that September in Los Angeles, whenpost-production began. CinematographerHoyte van Hoytema shot the film onIMAX65 mm and 65 mmlarge-formatfilm stock.Dunkirk has extensivepractical effects. It employed thousands of extras as well as historic boats from the evacuation, and period aeroplanes.
In 1940, during theBattle of France,Allied soldiers retreat toDunkirk encircled bythe enemy. Tommy loses his squadmates and flees through the perimeter held by French troops to the beach, where thousands await evacuation, and helps Gibson to bury a body. AfterLuftwaffe dive-bombers attack, they attempt to board a hospital ship at the single, vulnerablemole available for embarking on deep-draft ships, by rushing a wounded man on a stretcher but are ordered off. They overhear Commander Bolton, Colonel Winnant and a Rear Admiral discuss the best way to get their army evacuated. The ship is sunk by dive bombers; Tommy saves aHighlanders regiment soldier, Alex. The three board adestroyer, but it is hit by atorpedo before it can depart; Gibson saves Tommy and Alex as the ship sinks, and they return to the beach.
TheRoyal Navy requisitions civilian vessels in England to get to Dunkirk. InWeymouth, civilian sailor Dawson, with his son Peter, set out in his boatMoonstone, rather than let the Navy commandeer her. Their teenage hand George joins them on impulse. In theEnglish Channel, they save a shiveringshell-shocked soldier from a ship destroyed by aU-boat. Realising that Dawson is going for Dunkirk, the soldier panics and Peter locks him up. The soldier escapes, urging they turn back and tries to wrest control of the boat; in the scuffle, he elbows George who suffers a head injury that blinds him; as the soldier dwells on his actions, George reveals to Peter he came hoping to do something noteworthy. ThreeRoyal Air ForceSpitfires fly towards Dunkirk, to provide cover for the evacuation, limited to one hour of operation by their fuel supply. They engage in adogfight with a lone enemy fighter. One of the pilots, Farrier, has his fuel gauge smashed by another fighter. He and the second Spitfire pilot, Collins, determine that their leader has gone down and fly on with Collins radioing Farrier about their remaining fuel. The crew of theMoonstone witness the two RAF pilots protect aminesweeper from a bomber escorted by fighters : Collins’s Spitfire is hit and heditches. Although trapped in his canopy as the plane sinks, Collins is saved by Peter.
Tommy, Alex and Gibson and Highlanders soldiers hide in a grounded trawler in theintertidal zone outside the perimeter, waiting for the rising tide. After its Dutch sailor returns, Germans start shooting at the boat for target practice, and water enters through the bullet holes. Alex, attempting to lighten the boat, accuses Gibson, who has been silent, of being a German spy. Gibson reveals he is French; he took the identity of the British soldier he buried. The tide finally lifts the trawler but, later on, the group has to abandon the sinking boat. Gibson is entangled in a chain and drowns. Noticing another bomber, Farrier chooses to continue aiding the evacuation, despite realising that he will never make it home. Despite his attempts, the destroyer is bombed and sinks, asMoonstone manoeuvres to save men in the water, including Alex, as the shivering soldier starts helping. Peter finds George is dead; asked by the shivering soldier, he says George will be fine. Farrier shoots the bomber down; its crash ignites oil on the water, but Peter saves Tommy. Farrier reaches Dunkirk just as his fuel runs out. Gliding, he shoots down a dive-bomber approaching the mole, and is cheered on by the troops. Farrier lands his Spitfire on the beach beyond the perimeter, burns it and calmly awaitscapture. Dawson has the boat evade aerial attack, using a technique taught by his deceased elder son, a pilot lost at the start of the war.
With 300,000 men successfully evacuated, Commander Bolton stays to oversee the French evacuation. In Weymouth, the shivering soldier sees George's body and exchanges a glance with Dawson, as he and Collins depart. Tommy and Alex board a train with other soldiers and are heralded by the public atWoking. Tommy readsChurchill's address, encouraging Britain to fight on.
The empathy for the characters has nothing to do with their story. I did not want to go through the dialogue, tell the story of my characters... The problem is not who they are, who they pretend to be or where they come from. The only question I was interested in was: Will they get out of it? Will they be killed by the next bomb while trying to join the mole? Or will they be crushed by a boat while crossing?
DirectorChristopher Nolan conceived the film in the mid-1990s,[17] when he and his future wifeEmma Thomas sailed across the English Channel, following the path of many small boats in the Dunkirk evacuation.[18][19] Nolan considered improvising the entire film instead of writing a script, but Thomas convinced him otherwise.[20] In 2015,[18] Nolan wrote a 76-page screenplay,[16][18][21] which was about half the length of his usual scripts[22] and his shortest to date.[23][24] Its precise structure necessitated fictional characters, rather than ones based on eyewitnesses.[25]
The story is told from three perspectives—land (one week of action), sea (one day of action) and air (one hour of action).[26] Nolan structured the film from the point of view of the characters, intending to use visuals rather than dialogue and backstory.[27][28] He wanted to incorporate throughout the film what he calls his "snowballing effect," where several seemingly disparate storylines connect, that he had previously used only in the third acts of his other films.[21] Nolan said that he approached research as though it were for a documentary,[29] and was attracted to the subject matter because of its inversion of the "Hollywood formula", depicting a military retreat centered on the Franco-British forces in place of the typicalheroic narrative of victorious Americans.[23]
Nolan postponedDunkirk until he had acquired sufficient experience directing large-scale action films.[25] To convey the perspective of soldiers on the beach, for whom contact with the enemy was "extremely limited and intermittent", he did not show Germans on screen (several Germans who take Farrier prisoner are out of focus).[30] He omitted scenes withWinston Churchill and generals inwar rooms, as he did not want to get "bogged down in the politics of the situation".[31] Nolan showed key members of the crew eleven films that had inspired him:All Quiet on the Western Front (1930),The Wages of Fear (1953),Alien (1979),Speed (1994),Unstoppable (2010),Greed (1924),Sunrise (1927),Ryan's Daughter (1970),The Battle of Algiers (1966),Chariots of Fire (1981) andForeign Correspondent (1940)—only two of which are war films.[18][32] Other film influences includeA Man Escaped (1956),Pickpocket (1959), andSaving Private Ryan (1998).[33] The historical consultant was authorJoshua Levine,[23][34] who also wrote the book adaptation,Dunkirk: The History Behind the Major Motion Picture.[35] Levine accompanied Nolan while interviewing veterans.[19][36][37] During these interviews, Nolan was told a story of soldiers seen walking into the sea in desperation, which he incorporated into the screenplay.[36]
The production team and scouting locations were chosen before Nolan and Thomas solicitedWarner Bros. Pictures to make the film.[18] Nolan and his production designerNathan Crowley toured the beach of Dunkirk whilelocation scouting, and decided to film there despite the logistical challenges,[23] discardingSuffolk as an alternative. Crowley set up a makeshift art department in Nolan's old garage, as is tradition, and colourised black-and-white photographs to better understand the visual representation. The design aesthetic was made to look as contemporary as possible.[18][38]Hoyte van Hoytema, who had previously collaborated with Nolan onInterstellar, was chosen as thedirector of photography.[39]The Hollywood Reporter stated that Nolan made a deal with Warner Bros. to receive a $20 million salary plus 20% of the box office gross;[40] however,Vanity Fair reported that Nolan agreed to a low upfront salary in exchange for a large backend percentage.[41]
Pre-production began in January 2016.[18] For the uniforms, costume designer Jeffrey Kurland aimed to balance historical accuracy with aesthetics that would favour the film stock. As the original heavy wool fabric had not been produced since 1940, it was made from scratch, tailored for the main cast and over a thousand extras. Uniforms were made in a factory in Pakistan and the boots by a shoemaker in Mexico. The costume department then spent three weeks ageing them atLongcross Studios. Each garment was made to look distinct in regiment and personality: Tommy wears a largegreatcoat, while Alex dons the Highlander cut. Kurland found references at museums, in contemporary magazines, photo archives and books. The mole was rebuilt over four months from the original blueprints.[nb 2] Sand was brought from Dunkirk to create make-up consistent with the environment. Oil and tar were specially made and prosthetics were water and fire resistant.[17]
After first-hand accounts of the evacuation revealed how young and inexperienced the soldiers had been,[43] Nolan decided to cast young and unknown actors for the beach setting.[44] He was also adamant that all of the cast be British.[23][nb 3]John Papsidera and Toby Whale were the casting directors forDunkirk.[18] Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh and Mark Rylance were in talks to join the ensemble as supporting characters in late 2015.[46][47] Fionn Whitehead was cast as the lead in March 2016,[48] while Jack Lowden, Aneurin Barnard and Harry Styles were added shortly after.[49][50] Cillian Murphy joined the following month.[51] James D'Arcy, Barry Keoghan and Tom Glynn-Carney were included later that May.[52][53]
Michael Caine had a voicecameo role as Fortis Leader, as a nod to his role in the filmBattle of Britain (1969).[29][54] According to D'Arcy and Nolan, Winnant and Bolton act as aGreek chorus to give the audience context.[18] Whitehead went through a secretive auditioning process lasting several months.[55] His character was named after theslang term for the ordinary British soldier.[56] Styles was cast for his "old fashioned face", as stated by Nolan.[57] He won the role after auditioning against hundreds of candidates,[23] when Nolan was unaware of his renown as a singer.[58] Murphy spoke to Nolan and read about the psychological trauma the soldiers endured, to understand his character'sPTSD.[59] Nolan chose Rylance for his work in the theatre and performance inWolf Hall.[18] As research, Rylance piloted his character's boat every day,[23] listened to audio recordings at theImperial War Museum,[60] and read accounts of men like Mr Dawson.[18] Between takes, he encouraged rehearsal through improvised scenes.[25] The principal cast members did their own stunts.[61]John Nolan, uncle of Christopher, played Blind Man.[62]Will Attenborough played the Second Lieutenant who orders Tommy and Gibson off the hospital ship.[63]
Maillé-Brézé at the port of Dunkirk during filming
Filming in Dunkirk took place at the location of the real evacuation,[34] while the street scenes were shot in nearbyMalo-les-Bains because most of the buildings in Dunkirk were destroyed in the war.[71] Shooting times on the beach and mole were determined bytidal patterns. Frenchlabour strikes and regulations also affected the schedule.[17]
To minimise the need forcomputer-generated imagery (CGI), cardboard cut-outprops of soldiers and military vehicles created the illusion of a large army.[72] Real or scale-model fighter aircraft, and real warships and private boats, provided realism that could not be achieved from CGI.[73] Scale models were created via3D printing. The mole set was frequently rebuilt after being damaged by bad weather. Because French authorities had prohibitedpyrotechnic charges to protect marine life, air cannons were used instead.[17] Six thousand extras were needed in France.[72][74]
Early scenes of the film were shot at Weymouth harbour, and the final scenes atSwanage railway station.[17]Universal Pictures' Falls Lake studio inLos Angeles was used for interior and exterior sets of a sinking ship and plane, with the ship interiors filmed in a water tank usingstuntmen.[17][34] To get acclimatised to cold water scenes, Styles and Whitehead underwent training sessions atPoint Dume.[17]
Crowley and marine coordinator Neil Andrea located nearly sixty ships,[18][73] which Nolan had reconditioned for the shoot.[34][75] These included the retiredFrench Navy destroyerMaillé-Brézé,[76] which was made to look like a 1940 British warship[23] as there were no wartime British destroyers left with working engines.[18] Three retiredRoyal Netherlands Navy ships were also used: the minesweeperHNLMSNaaldwijk portrayedHMS Britomart,HNLMSSittard portrayedHMS Havant andHMS Jaguar, and MLVCastor (a Royal Netherlands Navy armedpilot vessel) portrayedHMS Basilisk.[77][78] The motor torpedo boatMTB 102 and the 1930s Norwegian steamerRogaland were also used.[18][79] Over fifty other boats included twenty actualLittle Ships of Dunkirk, piloted by their owners.[18] A small 1930smotor yacht calledMoonstone served for six weeks of filming; its most demanding scenes, with up to sixty people on a boat designed for fewer than ten, were shot on the Dutch lakeIJsselmeer[23][34][73] to avoid the challenge of the Dunkirk tides.[17] The hospital ship which was sunk in the beginning, was the Norwegian cargo ship, and World War II veteran, MSRogaland.
One of the Spitfires repainted for the film[80]HA-1112 Buchón in 2015, which was used in the film[80]TheAerostar Yak-52TW N699DP in 2016, which was modified to resemble a Spitfire for the film[81]
Aircraft were equipped with dual cockpits for filming in flight.[82] AYakovlev Yak-52TW[66][83] was modified to resemble aSupermarine Spitfire,[17][84] and twoSupermarine Spitfire Mark IAs, a Spitfire Mark VB, and aHispano Buchon painted to look like aMesserschmitt Bf 109E, were also used for the combat scenes, flying toUrk fromLelystad Airport. Large-scale radio-controlled model aircraft were filmed crashing into the English Channel.[23][80] The real Spitfires were provided by theImperial War Museum Duxford,[18] and ownerDan Friedkin piloted the one that was filmed landing on the beach in Dunkirk.[85][failed verification] These takes had to be done within forty-five minutes, before the tide came back in.[17] IMAX cameras were attached to the fighter planes using specially made snorkel andperiscope lenses—in the back and the front[17][23][34]—and large-scalemockups were submerged with cable rigs for a crash scene.[34]Scroggins Aviation and Gateguards UK performed period aviation reconstruction.[86]Aerospatiale Ecureuil G-WHST, with IMAX cameras front, and aPiper Aerostar enabled filming from the air, also with IMAX cameras front and rear. Dogfights over the Channel were shot by an aerial unit based atLee-on-Solent Airfield and one at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands.[17] Hardy and Lowden spent the final stages of the shooting schedule on a cliffside in Palos Verdes, inside purpose-built cockpitgimbals, with limited contact with the rest of the cast and crew.[17][18][34][87]Dunkirkwrapped on 2 September 2016, after sixty-eight days.[17]
The film was shot innatural lighting[88] using bothIMAX65 mm and 65 mmlarge formatfilm stock inPanavision System 65,[46][89] with more IMAX footage than in any of Nolan's previous films[90]—an estimated seventy-five per cent.[23] The sparsity of dialogue made it possible for IMAX cameras, which are notoriously noisy, to be used as the primary format.[17]Panavision and IMAX lenses enabled filming at night.[25] For the first time in a feature film, IMAX cameras were used hand-held,[91] whichSteven Spielberg andRon Howard advised as the best way to shoot on vessels.[36]
Nolan's regular collaboratorLee Smith returned to editDunkirk,[25] beginning in September 2016[17] after Smith had assembled shots unsupervised while filming was still in progress.[92] Editing took place in Los Angeles with anaudio mixing team of eight people.[23] Nolan singled out the editing of the aerial sequences as a particular challenge,[92] likening this to achess game.[22] Limited computer-generated imagery was applied to improve some scenes, but none consisted entirely of CGI.[92] Weather continuity presented less of a challenge than was expected, with filming both in Europe and California. At least ten to fifteen feature-length versions were cut to further refine the dramatic impact.[17][93] Once a cut was completed, only then did they apply music.[94]
Post-production had fifty-four hours of raw footage to work with.[42] The only usable sounds from production recordings were voices—everything else was recreated.[95] Sound designerRichard King sent twosound mixers to audio record the Spitfires at theImperial War Museum Duxford using twenty-four microphones. Unable to find an actual dive siren of a Stuka dive bomber, Kingreverse engineered one from old photographs in an attempt to replicate the sound. For scenes in which ships gave out sounds of people in distress, voices were captured using anADR "loop group".C-4 and liquidpropane were blown up to record sound for the explosions. Also featured were the whistles attributed to German bombs during the Second World War.[17][42] Bomb noises were made to increase in pitch the closer they got to impact, to stay true to reality.[95]Double Negative undertook thevisual effects work.FotoKem, thefilm laboratory, also handled the release prints.[96]
Hans Zimmer began working on the score in 2016,[97] continued for eleven months, and eventually created a 100-minute demo.[98] For intensity, the script was written to accommodate theauditory illusion of aShepard tone, which had previously been explored in Nolan's 2006 filmThe Prestige. This was coupled with the sound of Nolan's ownpocket watch, which he recorded and sent to Zimmer to besynthesised.[92][99] Zimmer also heightens the tension with subtleRisset rhythms throughout the entire movie—seemingly endless increases in tempo[100] (however, these effects were removed for the official soundtrack release). Additional music was provided byLorne Balfe, Andrew Kawczynski, Steve Mazzaro andBenjamin Wallfisch.[101][102]
"Nimrod" fromEdward Elgar'sEnigma Variations is part of the theme,[103][104] which was slowed down to sixbeats per minute with added bass notes to avoid it sounding sentimental. Instrumentation included adouble bass and fourteencellos played in high register. King relayed to Zimmer the sound of a boat engine, which served as a reference for the tempo.[102] Zimmer visited the Dunkirk set for inspiration, taking back a jar of sand,[105] and chose not to view raw footage whilst composing.[17] The music was recorded atAIR Lyndhurst Hall with mix engineerGeoff Foster.[17][106]
The world premiere was on 13 July 2017 atOdeon Leicester Square inLondon.[107][108] The film was theatrically released on 21 July,[109] projected onIMAX 70mm,digital,70 mm and35 mm film.[110] It is the fourth Nolan film to be released in the third week of July, a period in which Warner Bros. Pictures has previously achieved success.[111] It was Nolan's preference that the film opened in July instead of the northern-hemisphere autumn awards season.[112] The film was initially screened in 125 theatres in 70 mm,[113][114][115] the widest release in that format in twenty-five years.[116]
Dunkirk received a special IMAX screening at the 2017Toronto International Film Festival, the first Nolan film to appear at the festival sinceFollowing, nineteen years earlier. This screening also coincided with the 50th anniversary of IMAX.[117] After its original release of 126 days,[12] the film was re-released in fifty IMAX and 70 mm theatres on 1 December, expanding to 250 additional cities in January 2018.[118]
Dunkirk was released digitally on 12 December 2017, and on4K,Blu-ray andDVD on 18 December 2017 in the United Kingdom and 19 December 2017 in the United States.[119][120]
Theannouncement teaser debuted in cinemas ahead ofSuicide Squad[121] and was released online on 4 August 2016.[122] According todata analytics firm ListenFirst Media, it generated the mostTwitter engagement of any trailer released that week.[123] The first full-lengthtrailer was released on 14 December 2016,[124] alongside a five-minute[125] cinema-exclusive prologue shown before selectedIMAX screenings ofRogue One: A Star Wars Story.[126]Dunkirk was the most discussed film that week according to media measurement firmComscore.[127] The prologue returned for a week before selected IMAX showings ofKong: Skull Island.[128] Footage from the film was well received atCinemaCon 2017.[129]
Warner Bros. aired aTV spot to coincide with the2017 US national basketball playoffs.[130] The official trailer was released on 5 May 2017, after a countdown on the film's website[131][132] and four 15-second teasers leading up to it.[133]Dunkirk was again the most discussed film that week according to ComScore.[134] The video game developerWargaming included in its titlesWorld of Tanks,World of Warships andWorld of Warplanes missions and rewards related to the film.[135] On 6 July, Warner Bros. released another trailer, which for the third time was the most discussed film of the week.[136] The prologue was shown at selectedWonder Woman IMAX screenings in July.[137][138] It also toured three European countries with amobile cinema.[139]
Sue Kroll, president of Warner Bros. Worldwide Marketing and Distribution, said that it was important thatDunkirk be marketed as a summerevent movie as opposed to aperiodwar film, to highlight its "magnificent scale and originality". This strategy was maintained throughout the campaign. To convince audiences that the film was best experienced in theatres, the prologue was never made available online. TV spots were distributed sporadically during sports games and notable television series to establish the film's themes.Social mediainfographics described the scale and importance of the Dunkirk evacuation. Additionally, a Google 360 Experience interactive adventure, anAmazon Alexa programme and a360-degree short film, were created. In partnership with fast food restaurantCarl's Jr., the film was branded on four million cups, as well aspop-ups at nearly 3,000 locations.[133] Research saw the film appeal to twenty per cent of infrequent moviegoers.[140]
Dunkirk grossed $189.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $340.6 million in other countries, for a worldwide total of $530 million, against a production budget of $100–150 million.[12][141] Globally, it became the highest-grossing World War II film (not adjusting for inflation) at the time, surpassingSaving Private Ryan's $482 million,[142][143] until it was surpassed by Nolan's ownOppenheimer in 2023.[144]
In the United States and Canada, industry tracking for the opening weekend ranged fromVariety's $30–40 million[145] toDeadline Hollywood's $35 million,[138] whileBoxOffice speculated an opening weekend of $55 million,[146] andIndieWire $50 million and $500 million worldwide.[147]Dunkirk made $19.8 million on its first day, including $5.5 million from preview screenings. It went on to finish first at the box office with $50.5 million, marking the third-largest opening for a World War II film (behindCaptain America: The First Avenger's $62.1 million andPearl Harbor's $59.1 million), as well as the fourth-largest of Nolan's career.[112] In its second weekend, it grossed $26.6 million (a drop of 44.3%), beating newcomerThe Emoji Movie to the top spot.[112] The film grossed $17.1 million in its third weekend, second to newcomerThe Dark Tower ($19.2 million),[112] and was again second in its fourth week, behindAnnabelle: Creation with $10.9 million.[112]
The film opened in France on 19 July 2017, and made $2.2 million on its first day. It was released in seven markets the following day, earning an additional $6.3 million, and on 21 July in forty-six more countries, grossing $12.7 million from over ten thousand theatres, including $3.7 million from the United Kingdom.[148] The international debut totalled $55.4 million, including $4.9 million in France, $12.4 million in the UK and $10.3 million in Korea.[149] The film remained number one in the United Kingdom for five weeks.[150] It opened in China on 1 September[151] in the top spot,[152] grossing $30 million from its weekend debut.[153] Its opening weekend in Japan earned $2.9 million from 444 screens.[154]
Some critics calledDunkirk Nolan's best film to date[155] and one of the greatest war films ever made.[156][157][158] On the review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 472 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's critical consensus reads "Dunkirk serves up emotionally satisfying spectacle, delivered by a writer-director in full command of his craft and brought to life by a gifted ensemble cast that honors the fact-based story."[159] OnMetacritic, the film has aweighted average score of 94 out of 100 based on reviews from 53 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[160] According toMRQE, it has an average rating of 86/100, based on 128 critics.[161] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale, whilePostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 88% overall positive score, with 63% saying they would recommend it.[112]The Guardian ranked the film at No. 13 on their list of "The 50 top films of 2017".[162]The Independent named it the 7th-best film of the year.[163]Time magazine included the film on its "Top 10 movies of 2017" list.[164]
Peter Bradshaw ofThe Guardian awarded the film five out of five and called it Nolan's best to date, saying that he "surrounds his audience with chaos and horror from the outset, and amazing images and dazzlingly accomplished set pieces on a huge 70 mm screen, particularly the pontoon crammed with soldiers extending into the churning sea, exposed to enemy aircraft".[165]Todd McCarthy ofThe Hollywood Reporter also lauded the film, calling it "an impressionist masterpiece" that was "deeply moving" but without "manufactured sentimentality or false heroics". He also praised the score, which "enormously strengthens the film" and "incorporates both sound and music to extraordinary effect".[166] Peter Debruge ofVariety praised the plot (although calling Zimmer's score "bombastic"), writing: "[Nolan has] delivered all the spectacle of a big-screen tentpole, ratcheting up both the tension and heroism through his intricate and occasionally overwhelming sound design".[1]Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Times described the film as a "tour de force of cinematic craft and technique" and lauded Nolan's elastic approach to narrative.[167] She namedDunkirk "the best film of 2017".[168]Mick LaSalle of theSan Francisco Chronicle called it a "triumph" and "masterpiece", commending Nolan's unique approach to directing a war film.[169]The Economist labelledDunkirk "a remarkable film" and a new classic.[170]Richard Roeper of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film four out of four and said it was one of the best war movies of the decade, describing it as "tight, gripping, deeply involving and unforgettable... triumph in filmmaking".[171] Chris Nashawaty ofEntertainment Weekly gave the film an "A", calling it the best of 2017: "By the end ofDunkirk, what stands out the most isn't its inspirational message or everyday heroism. It's the small indelible, unshakeable images that accumulate like the details in the corner of a mural".[172]
Robbie Collin ofThe Daily Telegraph gave the film five out of five, lauding it as "a work of heart-hammering intensity and grandeur".[173]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone awarded it his first four-star rating of 2017 as "maybe the greatest war film ever", adding: "There's little doubt that [Nolan] has, without sentimentality or sanctimony, raised [thesurvival film] genre to the level of art... with the resonant force of an enduring screen classic". He also called it the first majorOscar contender of the year.[174]Michael Medved awarded it four out of four and called Hardy's performance "outstanding", and the action "seamless", declaring: "This is not only the best WWII movie sinceSaving Private Ryan, it is very simply one of the greatest war movies ever made".[175]Matt Zoller Seitz ofRogerEbert.com gave it a score of three and a half out of four, despite not liking the film, stating that he "loathed parts of it and found other parts repetitious or half-baked. But, maybe paradoxically, I admired it throughout, and have been thinking about it constantly".[176]Jacques Mandelbaum ofLe Monde praised the film's realism, but was disappointed that it ignores the part played by French troops.[177]Kevin Maher inThe Times gave it two out of five, saying: "[Dunkirk] is 106 clamorous minutes of big-screen bombast that's so concerned with its own spectacle and scale that it neglects to deliver the most crucial element—drama." He also suggested thatDunkirk felt like aCall of Duty video game.[178] David Cox ofThe Guardian felt the film had historical inaccuracies, a paucity of female characters, small scale, a thinly characterised cast and lack of suspense.[179] In theLondon Review of Books,Michael Wood compared it to the films ofLuis Buñuel and commended Zimmer's soundtrack as an effective match to the film.[180]
In 2018, a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics forTime Out magazine saw it ranked among the "100 Best British Films" of all time.[181] The same year,The Washington Post namedDunkirk as one of the "23 best films of the 2000s".[182]Rolling Stone,Total Film andQuentin Tarantino classified it as one of the best films of the 2010s.[13][14][15] FilmmakerDenis Villeneuve cited it as among his favourite films of all time.[183] In 2024,Looper ranked it number nine on its list of the "50 Best PG-13 Movies of All Time", writing "Leave it to Christopher Nolan to make a war movie likeDunkirk, one that can leave you on the edge of your seat without resorting to graphic violence. The PG-13 rating may limit the amount of blood on screen, but Nolan's filmmaking still makes this cinematic representation of an incredible historical event extra harrowing."[184]
The film was noted for its generally realistic representation of the historical evacuation. It accurately depicts a fewRoyal Air Force aeroplanes dogfighting the Luftwaffe over the sea, limited to one hour of operation by their fuel capacity. The combat, however, is portrayed at much lower altitude than the reality. Destroyers and fighter aircraft were indeed held back from battle, as the Royal Navy and Air Force would have been the sole defenders against invasion. There was indeed a temporary withdrawal of destroyers during the early stages after considerable losses; however, an appeal to the Admiralty by Admiral Ramsay reversed that decision. Also noted were the accurate depictions of how a small boat evaded aerial attack, and of how soldiers returning to England saw a civilian population largely unaware of or unaffected by the war.[192][193] British officers did initially refuse to evacuate French soldiers, although Churchill later insisted that the French be evacuated alongside the British.[192] The realism of the film was acknowledged by Dunkirk veterans, although Branagh said that some thought it was "louder than the battle".[194]
The characters and the storyline are fictional; Commander Bolton is acomposite of several real men, including CommanderJames Campbell Clouston (the lack of an actual depiction of Clouston drew criticism following the film's release, and attention was drawn to honour him for his role in the evacuation)[195][196][197][198][199] and CaptainBill Tennant.[200] Dawson is inspired byCharles Lightoller, the second officer of theTitanic and the most senior crewmember who survived thesinking, who took hisyachtSundowner to the evacuation.[201][202][203] The character of Collins is analogous to the experiences of Spitfire pilot Jack Potter, with Collins's ditching partly inspired by that ofEric Barwell in hisDefiant. Some media outlets suggested Farrier was inspired byAlan Deere.[204][205][206][207] When the beach scenes were shot, the weather was worse than during the real evacuation; Nolan explained that this helped to understand the danger faced by thepleasure boats.[208] In one scene, a non-commissioned officer gives a salute without wearing hismilitary beret, which a veteran pointed out as inaccurate protocol.[82] Noses of German planes were not actually painted yellow until after the evacuation; this was done to differentiate the German planes. Contemporary shots were used for aerial views of the town, whereas Dunkirk was in ruins by the time of the evacuation. The design of theairborne leaflet propaganda was similar to those used in 1940, although the originals were not in colour.[192]
^The Netherlands Film Fund reported a budget of $120 million in May 2017.[4] That July, it was estimated to be as high as $150 million,[5][6] with sources at Warner Bros. describing that figure as too high.[7] Later estimates reported a net production budget of $100 million[8] or just below that.[9] In February 2018, producer Emma Thomas said it was made for half the budget as that ofInterstellar[10]—$165 million.[11]
^Barry Keoghan and Cillian Murphy, however, areIrish.[45]
^Dunkirk was approved under the French international taxrebate scheme.[65]
^The film received $1.2 million through the Netherlands' rebate incentive programme.[68]
^In the course of shooting,Dunkirk operated under theworking title "Bodega Bay",[70] a place in Northern California suggested by production designer Nathan Crowley.[18]
^This marked Nolan's first nomination for Best Director at the Academy Awards.[190]
^Staff (May 2017)."Production and Financing".Film Facts and Figures of the Netherlands. The Netherlands Film Fund. p. 11.Archived from the original on 16 May 2018 – viaissuu.
^Leonard Pearce (28 February 2017)."Christopher Nolan Inspired by Robert Bresson and Silent Films for 'Dunkirk,' Which Has "Little Dialogue"".The Film Stage. The Film Stage, L.L.C. Retrieved23 September 2021."I spent a lot of time reviewing the silent films for crowd scenes –the way extras move, evolve, how the space is staged and how the cameras capture it, the views used", Nolan tells Premiere Magazine. The director revealed that he brushed up on silent films such as Intolerance, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, and Greed, as well as the films of Robert Bresson (notably Pickpocket and A Man Escaped, to dissect the process of creating suspense through details), Wages of Fear, and, of course, Saving Private Ryan.
^abcdefghJolin, Dan. "Blood and Sand".Empire. No. 338. pp. 88–93.
^Calhoun, Dave; Huddleston, Tom; Jenkins, David; Adams, Derek; Andrew, Geoff; Davies, Adam Lee; Fairclough, Paul; Hammond, Wally; Kheraj, Alim; de Semlyen, Phil (10 September 2018)."The 100 best British films".Time Out.Archived from the original on 3 April 2019.
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