I didn't know much about the style of this film so I was open to any take on Dunkirk. Trying to imagine the fear of the sitting ducks at Dunkirk was well portrayed by the faces of the soldiers. Knowing that at any minute you could be shot the wait to leave the beach would have been painstakingly long. There was no real need for character building since there were overlapping stories & the purpose of each character was quickly understood with very little dialogue. There were times I wished that there were subtitles because it was hard to understand but even still the message was given with the eyes of the actors. Most of the soldiers were 17 or 18..just young boys who found themselves in a perilous situation and looking to each other for understanding of what they were experiencing. I really liked the movie, didn't care for the soundtrack and found it irritating when it would rise to a crescendo. This movie would appeal to history buffs like me & to fans of Harry Stiles. There were no real stand outs in the acting but I think that was the point...no lone wolf/ hero