Most Americans probably think that World War II started on December 7, 1941, forgetting the fact that the war started on September 1, 1939 and we sat on the sidelines of two years.
While we were helping the Allies’ side for two years, our boys were at home while the British and French did the heavy lifting. While the German made quick work in invading Poland, Belgium, The Netherlands, and France, 400,000 British troops were surrounded at Dunkirk, France. The Battle of France was a colossal military disaster and the evacuation of the troops at Dunkirk through Operation Dynamo is one of the most remarkable events in military history because without out, Germany would have likely conquered Europe and this Jew would never have been born.
The evacuation at Dunkirk is heralded because it was a victory from such a colossal defeat. While Winston Churchill was correct that wars aren’t won by evacuation, it was the finest hour for the British Empire because it was left to fight another day and repel the Nazi air attacks in the Battle of Britain.
For such a terrific event in World History, we get a terrific movie in “Dunkirk”. Directed by Christopher Nolan, it’s 106 minutes of thrills and chills. It is a lean movie, no scenes with Churchill, no Germans, no mention of Nazis. It’s all about getting 400,000 troops home when home was about 26 miles away from Dunkirk. It’s about the troops on the beaches, the Royal Air Force, and the civilian boats that were called into duty to rescue the troops when it was usually the job of destroyers and other military ships.
Many will say that The Longest Day or Saving Private Ryan were the greatest war movies of all time, I think Dunkirk is one of the best because the movie has no filler and it’s all about the nameless men who survived or died during the evacuation. You don’t even remember hearing some of the main character’s names in the movie and it’s irrelevant because the goal in the movie was t recover the troops who were marooned in Dunkirk and were being picked off by the bombs of the Luftwaffe.
Nolan was a great director before this movie, his Dark Knight Trilogy revolutionized super hero movies, his work on Dunkirk is some of his best work. If you admire those who gave so much in service during World War II so we can live in a world that isn’t under the darkness of Nazi influence, then you will love Dunkirk. It’s an amazing movie and I’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t get nominated for Best Picture. It’s the best movie of the year.
