Dunkirk poster

Dunkirk

2017106 minutesPG-13
8.8
Arcplot Score
💎 Masterclass
Unverified
⭐ 7.8IMDb
🍅 92%Rotten Tomatoes
Ⓜ️ 94/100Metacritic
🎬 7.5TMDb
📊 7.5Popularity
🏆Won 3 Oscars. 68 wins & 236 nominations total
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan
May/June 1940. Four hundred thousand British and French soldiers are hole up in the French port town of Dunkirk. The only way out is via sea, and the Germans have air superiority, bombing the British soldiers and ships without much opposition. The situation looks dire and, in desperation, Britain sends civilian boats in addition to its hard-pressed Navy to try to evacuate the beleaguered forces. This is that story, seen through the eyes of a soldier amongst those trapped forces, two Royal Air Force fighter pilots, and a group of civilians on their boat, part of the evacuation fleet.

Box Office

Budget:$150.0M
Revenue:$527.0M
Profit:$377.0M

Arcplot Score Breakdown

Beat Timing Precision9.3/10
Emotional Arc Impact10/10
Thematic Consistency7/10
Overall Score8.8/10

Beat Sheet

15 plot points

Dunkirk Arcplot
1
Opening Image
2 min
2
Theme Stated
5 min
3
Set-Up
10 min
4
Catalyst
12 min
5
Debate
20 min
6
Break Into Two
22 min
7
B Story
28 min
8
Fun and Games
40 min
9
Midpoint
53 min
10
Bad Guys Close In
70 min
11
All Is Lost
80 min
12
Dark Night of the Soul
84 min
13
Break Into Three
88 min
14
Finale
100 min
15
Final Image
106 min

Emotional Arc

+100-10

Plot Points

#1

Opening Image

2 min

A group of British soldiers walks through deserted Dunkirk streets. Flyers fall: "We surround you." Immediate dread, isolation, and survival.

#2

Theme Stated

5 min

Commander Bolton: "You can practically see it from here." — "Home." The theme: survival, sacrifice, and the quiet heroism of ordinary people.

#3

Set-Up

10 min

Tommy meets Gibson. Soldiers wait endlessly on the beach. The sea is death. The sky is death. The enemy unseen. Fear and time dominate.

#4

Catalyst

12 min

A ship departs but is bombed before it clears the Mole. Hope shatters instantly. Survival seems impossible — there is no safe way home.

#5

Debate

20 min

Should they stay and wait for rescue or take fate into their own hands? Mr. Dawson prepares his small boat. Farrier and Collins launch into the air.

#6

Break Into Two

22 min

Three storylines begin to intersect: the soldiers try to escape by sea, Dawson sets sail from England, and RAF pilots fly toward Dunkirk.

#7

B Story

28 min

The B Story is courage and compassion — embodied by the civilians and ordinary men who choose to save others despite fear and futility.

#8

Fun and Games

40 min

The miracle of Dunkirk begins in motion: Mr. Dawson rescues downed pilots; Tommy and others hide in a beached ship; Farrier fights in the skies.

#9

Midpoint

53 min

The beached ship is fired upon; soldiers panic. On the sea, George dies accidentally. Farrier’s fuel gauge fails. False defeat: everything unravels.

#10

Bad Guys Close In

70 min

The Luftwaffe intensifies attacks. The beached ship floods. Dawson continues forward. The walls of time, tide, and terror close in on everyone.

#11

All Is Lost

80 min

The destroyer is sunk. Many drown. Hope collapses. Farrier’s wingman crashes. Dawson can only save a few. The tone hits its lowest emotional valley.

#12

Dark Night of the Soul

84 min

Tommy and the survivors face despair. Dawson mourns George. On the Mole, Bolton and Winnant feel abandoned. Time itself is the enemy.

#13

Break Into Three

88 min

The civilian fleet appears on the horizon. Hundreds of small boats cross the Channel. Salvation arrives not from might, but from humanity.

#14

Finale

100 min

Farrier stays in the air to protect the retreat. He shoots down a final bomber, then glides to the beach as he runs out of fuel. The men are rescued.

#15

Final Image

106 min

Back in England, Tommy reads Churchill’s speech. Survival itself is victory. The image mirrors the opening — but now, hope replaces despair.