Apart from some vintage, black &
white, newsreel footage of the historic British retreat from France in 1940,
director Nick Lyon’s “Operation Dunkirk” (** OUT OF ****) has nothing to do with
that landmark event aside from the setting. “Operation Dunkirk” reminded me of
an earlier World War II epic, director Walter Grauman’s “The Last Escape”
(1971) starring Stuart Whitman. These two Second War World sagas chronicled the
Allied rescue of important German scientists. Whitman reached his
scientist before the Russians. Similarly, a squad of British soldiers under
Lieutenant Galloway (Ifan Meredith of “Metroland”) are ordered to find a German
scientist (newcomer Eddie Curry) whose expertise in algorithms may significantly
enhance radar technology. Historically, radar saved England from the
Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain in 1940. This critical technology
enabled the English to detect German warplanes when they entered Allied
airspace and alert Sir Hugh Dowding’s Fighter Command about them.
Furthermore, radar meant that the heavily outnumbered RAF would not have to
maintain constant full-scale aerial surveillance. This meant their pilots could grab some much-needed
sack time between dogfights. Consequently, the premise that a German
scientist would possess valuable technological information about radar which
would aid the British seems unlikely. Meantime, this stubborn scientist
has refused adamantly to share his algorithms with Hitler. Now,
historical accuracy doesn’t always make a movie more entertaining. Consequently, Hollywood often plays fast and
loose with the facts to heighten dramatic impact.
Anyway, back to the
plot. When one of several, hand-picked commandos asks Colonel Plummer
(Gerard Pauwels of “Resurrection”) about their evacuation, Plummer barks, “Pull
your balls out of your throat and be a soldier.” Later, Galloway and his five
men cruise off in a jeep to a rendezvous with the French Resistance.
Armed with American .50 caliber Thompson submachine guns, they leave the jeep
and cross a cornfield. They don’t behave like battlefield veterans
because they walk too closely together without a scout either at point or on
drag. When they arrive at a huge lumber storage facility, a member of the
French Resistance challenges them. By this time, the villainous Nazi
officer, Strasser (Michael Wouters of “Sins of the Guilty”) has shot the unfortunate
scientist to death. Galloway reacts with incredulity when the Resistance
explains that they have a woman, Angelique (Kimberley Hews of “The Other
Wife”), for him to escort back to headquarters. Not only is Angelique the
late scientist’s daughter, but also she has memorized the algorithm. Not
long after the British show up at the lumber yard, the Germans arrive.
The fact the villains are hot on the heels of our heroes and stay one
step behind them is a positive point in favor of Lyon and his writers.
Later, the same French Resistance member who challenged Galloway is captured,
questioned, and then shot in the back by the Nazis. Meantime, Galloway
refuses to turn Angelique over to the Germans. A firefight erupts. The
Germans refuse to take cover. Instead, they stand in the open and blaze
away at the British hidden in a brick building. The arrogant Strasser
stands with his men as if he were bulletproof. The Germans riddle the building
with a hail of gunfire, and then they discover to their chagrin that the
British and Angelique have fled. All of this occurs during the first 30
minutes of this 95-minute epic. Happily, Lyon keeps the action moving forward at
a steady pace. Ultimately, he brings the action right down to the wire
with a last-minute appearance of the Royal Air Force as the air force routes
the Germans.
“Operation Dunkirk”
doesn’t rank as your average Asylum quickie, knock-off. “Rise of the
Zombies” director Lyon takes and scenarists Geoff Mead of “I Am Omega,” and
Stephen Meier of “Re-Generator” take themselves somewhat seriously.
Unlike most straight-to-video Asylum outings, the action is depicted in a
largely straightforward manner, with the unsavory Strasser relentlessly
pursuing the British. Mind you, this is the same Nazi officer who not
only derived sadistic glee in torturing, but also in murdering the
scientist. Strasser enjoys burning the hand of Resistance member with a
clothes iron and then impales it with a screwdriver so he can induce the
Frenchman to squeal. At the same time,
“Operation: Dunkirk” is a compilation of World War II clichés. First, Galloway
and company must endure their commanding officer’s standard-issue speech: “This
mission could not only save lives but win the war.” Second, a seriously
wounded British soldier insists on being left behind by his fellow soldiers.
When two Germans stumble onto him, he brandishes a hand grenade and blows them
to smithereens. Third, another British soldier steps on a cleverly hidden
German booby trap by a tree. Actually, these two scenes demonstrate
Lyon’s dramatic strength as a director. He generates suspense and tension
in both instances. My quibble with the hand grenade scene is that the
soldier doesn’t know when to shut up. The ironic thing about the booby trap
scene is that the British commander saves his soldier’s life, but a shattered
tree branch skewers his thigh like shrapnel and lodges perilously close to his
femoral artery. Meantime, it is interesting to note that Lyon provides
subtitles so the nasty German officer can speak in German. Since I am not
fluent in German, I cannot comment on the accuracy of both the translation or
the German language. The appearance of Sherman tanks is a plus.
Blood is spilled in most of the combat scenes, too.
Clearly, Asylum
produced “Operation: Dunkirk” to cash in on writer & director Christopher
Nolan’s forthcoming “Dunkirk.” Typically, Asylum cranks out knock-off movies
that exploit bigger studio releases. Although “Operation: Dunkirk” is
routine and often unrealistic, director Nick Lyon’s World War II thriller amounts
to a better-than-average Asylum release.
