User reviews

This is how the Dunkirk story should be told: by the veterans who survived. It's an arresting snapshot into the lives of soldiers who went to fight in Europe and ended up stranded in Dunkirk. Many of them lied about their young ages to enlist. I really enjoyed their vivid stories. There's plenty of genuine Dunkirk war film-footage used as a support throughout.

It's packed with interviews of the day-to-day experiences of the veterans, who tell of the horrors of war, their attitudes to the conflict, how they ate and formed friendships, and hopes for the future. The humility of the veterans represent a generation forever changed by the destruction of war, but the documentary also has some unexpected humour. Sometimes the understatement of a hero says it all.

One of the few civilians evacuated tells her story. A schoolgirl, stranded alongside the hundreds of thousands of soldiers, "It was hell on earth. I was only nine, but it is something you can't forget."

Conclusion: I found it outstanding, definitely more than just for the average history buff or WWII junkie.

Gutted that I can't give more than 5/10 for this film.

The interviews and accounts of the prelude to the evacuation and the stories about the people getting out of Dunkirk were great and very moving.

Trouble is the fact that the music in the background made some parts of the film unwatchable. I know that some documentaries use incidental music, but this was ridiculous. Loud music playing over the top of sofly spoken interviewees meant that some of what they said was lost. No wonder they needed to put captions up for some parts, if the music was turned down a bit rather than being louder than the voices, they wouldn't have been needed.

Excellent! I had never heard of it but caught this gem by chance. I hesitated to watch due to the description. I wasn't sure I could stomach it. I'm so glad I did. I highly recommend watching this!

This documentary presents a broader background of the event than recent films, using contributions of people who were actually there. Unfortunately, the editor(s) chose to drown out the narration with background music and sound effects so that hearing the words of these heroes is next to impossible. If only there were some way to turn off the background noise completely.

It's sad that anyone would believe the stories of survivors of this pivotal historical event would need to be made more compelling with blaring noise. I have the utmost respect for every individual who persevered through that time and especially that event that went so wrong, but unexpectedly turned out so well. I have none for the talentless hacks that produced and edited this tragic waste of the opportunity to tell this story.

I caught this gem on Amazon Prime by chance. I hesitated to watch it as I wasn't sure I could stomach it. I'm so glad I did. Exceptional stories of survival. I highly recommend watching!

Saw this on Netflix. Those guys are heroes. Extremely powerful visuals. The structure, the use of music - put together in a whole that is breath-taking. A great watch.