10 Best British Movies Of 2017
5. Dunkirk
What more needs to be said? Dunkirk is the bravura cinematic invention of Christopher Nolan on an epic scale. It's the tale of a terrible British military defeat and there's certainly plenty of horror in the story, but it's also an uplifting tale of survival with the help of ordinary civilians, and that's the overriding feeling when the credits roll.
Nolan creates an innovative structure for what is, at its core, a simple story. He divides the land, sea and air elements of the narrative using different timeframes in a way that recalls the nesting dreamscapes of Inception as well as the timeline bending of Memento. This enables Nolan to build enviable tension en route to the emotional revelation of Churchill's iconic Commons speech in the final moments.
In terms of flying the Union Flag on the global stage, Dunkirk stands the best chance of any film on this list. Nolan has been nominated for awards in the past and Dunkirk has been talked about as an Oscar contender ever since it first hit cinemas in July. If "the British are coming" again, it will be Dunkirk that leads the charge.