Jem Shaw

Given the budget and cast, this film snatches defeat from the jaws of certain victory. Read the reports of eye witnesses and you'll learn that the turn-out of small ships was so great that, in the words of one RAF pilot "You could almost walk from Dunkirk back to England". Surely this is the most rousing demonstration of the bulldog breed, true heroism from non-combatants who risked everything to save the battered BEF. But Nolan gives us about a dozen boats to illustrate Brannagh's pronouncement, "That is England." As for the Spitfire that can glide for twenty minutes or so - and shoot down an enemy while doing so... And while I'm on the subject of Spitfires, standard landing procedure involved OPENING the canopy and locking it in place by part opening the access door. So why does Tom Hardy (another superb actor, wasted in this turkey), close his? And why, when landing on the only clear patch of beach (if it was clear, it was almost certainly soft), does he extend his undercarriage? Is he aiming for the maximum number of cartwheels? I can hear the protests "Who cares?" "Stop being such an anorak!", and you may be justified. But, given the chance to make a spectacular film about Britain's most poignant defeat, why not take the minimal trouble to get it right? Nolan is an excellent director, he's demonstrated what he's capable of on many occasions. I expected so much more than this terrible disappointment.