"Dunkirk" a WWII Movie that puts the Audience Alongside the Trapped Allies on the Shores of France

"Dunkirk" is a daring & relentless WWII movie depicting the horrific & heroic events of our British / French allied troops trapped on the beaches of Dunkirk, France by the Germans.  Dunkirk is a vivid & indelible portrayal of the slaughter of the soldiers stationed on the beaches & in the air off France  not unlike the opening scenes during the invasion on the beaches of Normandy in "Saving Private Ryan" starring Tom Hanks.   "Dunkirk" is directed by Christopher Nolan (b UK 1970, "The Dark Knight" & Interstellar") with an imposing cast of British actors:  Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh & Tom Hardy.  The film also stars Irish actor Cillian Murphy and marks the film debut for British rock star Harry Styles.  The movie is myopic historic storytelling but larger than life portrait of epic battles & struggles for survival amidst overwhelming enemy fire.  Rylance (one of our best actors) stars as a stoic hero from Dunkirk.  He risks his life (& that of his son & another young man) to save the lives of allied soldiers.  He ventures out into the waters off the coast of Dunkirk to rescue  allied soldiers floundering in the waters off ships destroyed by German planes & subs.  The movie is short on dialogue but grandiose in realistic army maneuverings and the slaying of thousands of lives by enemy fire, drowning and bombings.  Few of the actors are given names; Styles is one of the few (Alex, a British soldier) and Tom Hardy (Farrier, the unflappable British war pilot).  Neither Rylance nor Branagh (a British naval commander) are assigned names.  Nonetheless, both actors are reason enough to see any film in which they partake.  Acad Award winning composer Hans Zimmer (b Germany 1959) adds a magnificent score and the breathtaking cinematography is by Hoyte van Hoytema (b Switzerland 1971 "Her" &"Spectre").  This is a war movie about survival; man's basic & most driving instinct.  It's also about heroism and the unsung heroes who altruistically sacrificed for the lives of others.  "Survival isn't fair," but sometimes "survival is enough."  "Dunkirk" is an unforgettable WWII film that honors the legacy of our brave allies who persevered.  The movie elicits a visceral response to their horrendous experiences.