From a different viewpoint as this author walked down 101 floors of the South Tower on September 11. Worked for Aon and came away with not PTSD or dust-health problems (I was far uptown when the towers came down). So as I sat watching Dunkirk, the cummulative effect was to virtually relive aspects of THAT day for me. It's impossible to describe horror, fear and what it was like to BE there, or BE at Dunkirk. Many films and books (fondly MRS. MINIVER was the first). Or the heroic dogfights of BATTLE OF Britain. This one - far different. I came out of the theater feeling that I had just been through not only Dunkirk but 9-11 as well. It is THAT effective. The lack of dialogue for a good part of the film draws the viewer INTO the story as a real participant. YOU'RE THERE. Spielberg did it a few times such as the 20 minute Omaha Beach segment of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN but even that film became just a more intense version of the standard war film.
Be prepared to have your life changed by this one. It's that damn good.
Be prepared to have your life changed by this one. It's that damn good.