Christopher Nolan's 2017 war drama "Dunkirk" is one of the more interesting films on this list. It tells the story of the 1940 evacuation of Dunkirk, in which more than 300,000 Allied soldiers were rescued, through three different lenses: land, air, and sea. Kenneth Branagh stars as Commander Bolton, who is tasked with orchestrating the rescue of the soldiers trapped on the beach who are portrayed by actors such as Harry Styles and Fionn Whitehead. Academy Award winner Mark Rylance plays Mr. Dawson, a civilian sailor who decides to drive his boat across the English channel to aid in the rescue himself rather than have the Navy take care of it alone.
Over the course of the film, the soldiers on the beach experience one week of the rescue, the English boats sent to the coast of France, including Mr. Dawson, experience a single day, while a fighter pilot in the air protecting the area, played by Tom Hardy, experiences one hour. The three timelines collide in one of the most riveting war films ever. "Dunkirk" was a box office triumph, surpassing "Saving Private Ryan" to become the highest-grossing World War 2 film ever (via Flickering Myth).
"Dunkirk" found plenty of success at the Oscars as well, winning best sound editing, best sound mixing, and best film editing, with five other nominations for best picture, best director, best cinematography, best original score, and best production design.
