Based on a true WW2 story: after the German invasion of France in 1940, thousands of British and Allied soldiers await evacuation to Britain in the northern coastal French town of Dunkirk.

Among war films, "Dunkirk" is unique in that it begins during the aftermath of an invasion rather than before it. The focus of "Dunkirk" is on rescuing several soldiers - too many for the sea vessels available - and preserve their lives.

The main narrative is broken into smaller stories. While all are intriguing action-wise, the characterization is thin overall. One exception is a story in which a helpful English civilian and ex-sailor (Mark Rylance) takes his own pleasure yacht to Dunkirk along with his young son and his teenage friend. The other stories are good in showing the tension of too many people to be rescued with too few vehicles involved but this tension could have been enhanced.

Writer-director Christopher Nolan has done a superb job in co-ordinating numerous extras and evoking an event that is far from the experience of the average viewer. (Apparently, Dunkirk survivors praised the film's accuracy.) He is greatly aided by his technical team especially those involving visual and sound effects. Some of the film's visuals truly stand out.

Although I don't fully join the almost unanimously high acclaim for this film, I still recommend it - especially on as large a screen as possible.