FARRIER
Bandit – eight o’clock.
FORTIS LEADER
(over radio)
Break.
EXT. SKY OVER ENGLISH CHANNEL – CONTINUOUS
The three Spitfires dart away from each other. The German plane takes the left one (Collins), hurtling down –
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – CONTINUOUS
Collins dives, rolling, glancing back –
COLLINS
He’s on me!
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier banks around, lining up on Collins’ pursuer.
FARRIER
And I’m on him –
Cut to:
EXT. HOSPITAL SHIP – EVENING
Tommy and Gibson shuffle around the deck, looking for a spot to settle …
The Able Seaman manning the gangplank calls over –
ABLE SEAMEN
You two, get a shift on!
Tommy reluctantly follows Gibson onto the plank.
EXT. THE MOLE – CONTINUOUS
As he shuffles down the gangplank he looks over at the thousands queuing on the mole …
A Second Lieutenant on the mole waves Tommy along –
SECOND LIEUTENANT
Off you go! Back up the line!
As Tommy steps off the plank he hears a noise: Gibson, finger to his lips, ‘shush’, is crouched in the crisscross structure below the mole where he can’t be seen by the officers on top. He beckons Tommy to join him …
PETTY OFFICER
That last barrage damaged the rudder!
The Second Lieutenant turns to the Petty Officer. Tommy slips down beside Gibson –
SECOND LIEUTENANT
Tie up again while we try to fix it.
They settle in on the beams just above the water line …
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – MORNING
Mr Dawson comes to the back of the well, fits the tiller, to steer from outside, Peter at his side. George, on the bow, looks across at several naval vessels on the same course.
Suddenly he spots a bomber overhead –
GEORGE
Mr Dawson!
Mr Dawson’s eyes don’t leave his course –
MR DAWSON
One of ours, George.
George looks up as the plane. A Blenheim bomber passes over.
Looking down to his left – a fishing trawler bobbing along. Further back down the convoy his sees a Thames paddle steamer.
A destroyer approaches from the opposite direction. As George peers, he starts to make out shapes of men on the decks.
The destroyer passes close enough that George can see the boat is packed with soldiers. Weary, bedraggled, dispirited soldiers. George stares at the haunted faces.
As the Moonstone rides over the wake of the destroyer, an ominous boom reverberates in the distance. Too sudden for thunder, the boom multiplies into a distant barrage …
Mr Dawson comes forward, drawn by the sound. He stares at the horizon – distant black smoke precisely where they’re headed. More booms. Mr Dawson looks at George. Who is scared. He puts his hand on his shoulder. Nods reassuringly.
Cut to:
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier concentrates, trying to angle his plane at the tail of the ME 109 ahead … but the German plane keeps pulling out of his sights, turning right, pulling g’s, rolling …
FARRIER
On my mark – draw him left, Fortis 2 … Three, two, one, mark –
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – CONTINUOUS
Collins pulls hard left, rolling up and left as tracer fire streaks past.
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier watches the ME 109 cut left to follow Collins. He pushes the button on his stick to strafe the plane with his cannons … Smoke starts trailing from the German plane.
FARRIER
Clear.
EXT. SKY OVER ENGLISH CHANNEL – CONTINUOUS
The ME 109 trails heavy smoke as it tips towards the water–
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – CONTINUOUS
Collins straightens out, tries to look back –
COLLINS
Is he down?
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier watches the ME 109 smash into the water, breaking up in a fiery mess –
FARRIER
Down for the count –
Tracer fire smashes into Farrier’s plane, sparking inside and out. Farrier banks hard right as a second 109 streaks away. He straightens up.
FARRIER
Fortis leader, one bandit down …
Nothing.
Fortis Leader, do you read?
Nothing.
Farrier looks around, spots a Spitfire –
FARRIER
Fortis 2, I have you to port – no eyes on Fortis Leader. Over.
COLLINS
(over radio)
Understood, Fortis 1. Orbit for a look …
Farrier looks all around as he pulls right on the stick …
Cut to:
EXT. THE MOLE – EVENING
Eerie quiet.
Tommy and Gibson sit in the structure, unseen, listening …
Commander Bolton checks progress on board the hospital ship.
COMMANDER BOLTON
How long, Lieutenant?
LIEUTENANT
We need to run a new cable, sir. They’re scrambling.
Commander Bolton turns to Colonel Winnant, the army representative.
COMMANDER BOLTON
Colonel, you’re going to have to decide how many more wounded to evacuate … one stretcher takes the space of seven standing men.
Colonel Winnant takes this in.
Tommy crouches lower as he sees a launch approach …
A high-ranking officer is helped up the ladder onto the mole.
COMMANDER BOLTON
(salutes)
Rear Admiral.
REAR ADMIRAL
Commander. (To Colonel Winnant.) At ease, Colonel. How’s the perimeter?
Colonel Winnant gestures towards the smoke-shrouded town –
COLONEL WINNANT
Shrinking every day. But between our rearguard and the French … we’re holding the line. And the enemy tanks’ve stopped.
COMMANDER BOLTON
Why?
COLONEL WINNANT
Waste precious tanks, when you can pick us off from the air, like fish in a barrel?
COMMANDER BOLTON
How long does London expect the army to hold out before we make terms?
The Rear Admiral looks sharply at the idea.
REAR ADMIRAL
Make terms? They’re not stopping here. We need to get our army back.
The Rear Admiral points across the dark water …
Britain’s next. Then the world.
Commander Bolton puts his field glasses to his face.
COMMANDER BOLTON
Christ, you can almost see it from here…
COLONEL WINNANT
What?
COMMANDER BOLTON
Home. (Turns to the town.) What about the French?
REAR ADMIRAL
Publicly, Churchill’s told them bras dessous. (Off look.) Arm in arm. Leaving together.
COLONEL WINNANT
And privately?
REAR ADMIRAL
We need our army back.
COLONEL WINNANT
How many men are they talking about?
REAR ADMIRAL
Churchill wants thirty thousand. Ramsay’s hoping we can give him forty-five.
Commander Bolton looks out at the mass of humanity.
COMMANDER BOLTON
There are four hundred thousand men on this beach, sir.
Down below, Tommy takes this in. Every man for himself.
REAR ADMIRAL
We’ll just have to do our best.
Bolton straightens up.
COMMAND
ER BOLTON
Right, this mole stays open at all costs.
Bolton points at the funnel and masts of sunken ships.
We’re in range of artillery from the west – anything else sinks out here, the mole’s blocked and we’re stuffed.
REAR ADMIRAL
Can’t we load from the beaches?
COLONEL WINNANT
Better than standing out here when the dive bombers come.
COMMANDER BOLTON
Impossible.
The Rear Admiral looks at the lines of men on the beaches.
REAR ADMIRAL
Too shallow.
COMMANDER BOLTON
Anything drafting more than three feet can’t get near. We don’t have enough small boats to ferry men out to the destroyers.
The Rear Admiral nods.
REAR ADMIRAL
The mole it is, then, gentlemen.
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY
Mr Dawson is on the bow, peering ahead. The distant smoke is closer, small shapes in the sky move above distant ships, accompanied by thunderous booms …
Much nearer: a shape. A wreck. Upside down.
Mr Dawson moves quickly down the yacht to the well and takes the helm, throttling back. He gestures for Peter to head to the bow.
The Moonstone approaches the wreck. Bodies surround the overturned hull.
Crouched on the hull – a Soldier.
Mr Dawson reverses the screw, slowing to a crawl. Peter stares out at the Shivering Soldier.
PETER
Can you swim it?
The Shivering Soldier stares back at Peter. Peter looks back at Mr Dawson.
Can you get closer?
Mr Dawson looks down the side of the boat, considers.
MR DAWSON
Can’t risk it!
Mr Dawson turns to George.
Take Peter a line.
George grabs a coiled rope and heads up to the bow. Peter takes the rope from George –
PETER
I’ll throw you a line!
The Shivering Soldier looks up at him, blank. Peter tosses the line. It hits the water several feet in front of the soldier who stares at it.
Peter gathers the line, then tosses it again.
The Shivering Soldier springs for it, grabbing it and hanging on as Peter and George reel him in, pulling him around to the stern ladder.
He is too exhausted to make it up the ladder, so they grab his shirt, pulling him into the well.
George grabs a blanket and puts it around the Soldier’s shoulders.
Mr Dawson glances at the Soldier, then reverses from the wreck the way he came in, and steers wide around the visible portion of the wreck.
Once the water ahead is open, Mr Dawson speeds up, heading again for the dark smoke of Dunkirk.
Cut to:
EXT. SKY ABOVE THE ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY
The two Spitfires arc around the wreckage of the ME 109 …
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier spots something –
FARRIER
Wreckage below.
He heads low over the wreckage.
COLLINS
(over radio)
More of the 109?
Farrier banks, looking down, spots a half submerged tail – clearly RAF.
FARRIER
No, it’s Fortis Leader, over.
COLLINS
Do you think he got out?
FARRIER
Didn’t see a ’chute.
Farrier straightens up. Considers.
FARRIER
Record his position, then set heading 128, height … one thousand, over.
COLLINS
Vector 128, angels 1. Understood.
Farrier reaches forward, pushes the button by his fuel gauge … Nothing.
The glass is cracked. He taps it with his glove. Nothing.
FARRIER
Fortis 2, what’s your fuel?
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – CONTINUOUS
Collins checks his gauge.
COLLINS
Fifty gallons, over.
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier takes this down with a grease pencil …
FARRIER
Keep letting me know – my gauge took a knock back there, over.
COLLINS
Should you turn back?
Farrier methodically checks his other gauges and switches … checks the responsiveness of rudder, ailerons …
FARRIER
I’m confident it’s just the gauge.
Farrier glances at his pencil mark, sets the bezel on his watch.
He taps his gauge one more time. Nothing.
Cut to:
EXT. THE MOLE – EVENING
Bolton watches the Rear Admiral motor away in his launch, the engine noise fading to be replaced by –
A familiar, dreaded sound, building. Stukas.
The men on the mole look up at the sky.
From high above we see how trapped and exposed this line of men stretching a kilometer into the sea really is.
Restless, the soldiers look behind and in front. There’s simply nowhere to go. The awful whine builds. Then changes pitch as the bombers go into their dive.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM! The bombs impact the sea either side of the mole. Soldiers crouch as low as they can –
The onslaught is endless, terrible and inescapable.
BOOM! A direct hit to the hospital ship –
The Stukas have gone.
Screams and shouts – people start jumping over the side of the hospital ship onto the mole …
VOICES
She’s going down! SHE’S GOING UNDER!
Commander Bolton shouts at the men manning the lines.
COMMANDER BOLTON
CUT HER LOOSE!
The crew are jumping off the side, the burning ship is sinking.
SUB-LIEUTENANT
What about the wounded?
COMMANDER BOLTON
Cut her loose, and push her off! We can’t let her sink at the mole!
The men cast her off and push her off. Crew members and orderlies leap from the deck into the water –
The bow of the blazing, sinking ship drifts away from the mole.
Tommy and Gibson pull soldiers up onto the beams of the mole.
As the bow comes around, the stern scrapes along the wooden pilings, splintering them in its path –
A flailing soldier is in its path, trying to swim free –
The steel hulk is about to crush him –
Tommy grabs him by the shoulders and yanks with all his might, pulling him clear just as the hull grinds against the wood. Tommy looks down on the breathless, wet soldier. The wet soldier focuses on Tommy.
This is Alex. He nods thanks. Tommy nods back.
Commander Bolton watches the ship slip down into the waves.
Cut to:
EXT. MOONSTONE, ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY
Mr Dawson is back at the helm. The Shivering Soldier sits in the well, blanket over his shoulders. Staring at the deck. George watches him, then leans forward.
GEORGE
Come below – it’s out of the wind.
The Shivering Soldier glances at the companionway. Shakes his head.
GEORGE
Really – it’s warmer.
George reaches out for the Shivering Soldier’s arm – who smacks it away –
MR DAWSON
Leave him, George.
George looks up at the Commander.
MR DAWSON
He feels safer on deck. You would too if you’d been bombed –
SHIVERING SOLDIER
U-boat. It was a U-boat.
PETER
Get him some tea, George.
George darts downstairs. Useful.
Cut to:
EXT. SKY OVER ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY
The two Spitfires head towards the massive black smoke ha
nging over the distant port of Dunkirk.
There are many different ships and boats of all sizes in the water in front of them …
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 2 – CONTINUOUS
Collins pushes the button to check the fuel gauge –
COLLINS
Forty gallons, Fortis 1, over.
INT. COCKPIT, SPITFIRE 1 – CONTINUOUS
Farrier instinctively looks at his gauge. Nothing.
FARRIER
Forty gallons, understood.
Farrier pulls out a grease pencil and notes fuel and time.
We’re about five minutes out – climb to two thousand.
COLLINS
(over radio)
That’s more fuel.
FARRIER
I don’t want to get jumped again. Get some altitude, dive down on the bastards. Over.
COLLINS
(over radio)
Understood. Angels two, over.
Farrier pulls back on the stick –
EXT. SKY OVER ENGLISH CHANNEL – CONTINUOUS
The Spitfires rise gloriously into higher air …
Cut to:
EXT. THE MOLE – EVENING
Commander Bolton looks over at the wet soldiers clinging to the understructure of the mole.
COMMANDER BOLTON
(out of shot)
Right, Highlanders. Let’s find you another ship.
The wet soldiers pull themselves to their feet …
Tommy, watched by Alex, slips into the water, then pulls himself out, dripping. Gibson follows suit. Alex laughs at them … then helps them push into the group.
They follow the wet soldiers up onto the mole, where Bolton’s men shepherd them onto a launch.
EXT. LAUNCH – CONTINUOUS
Tommy and Gibson make themselves inconspicuous among the Highlanders, eyes down.
As the launch pulls away from the mole, Tommy glances back at the men lining the breakwater.
The launch motors out of the harbour.
Dunkirk Page 5