Character sheet for the film Dunkirk.
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The Mole
Tommy
"Take me home."
Played by: Fionn Whitehead
The main protagonist of the Mole segment, he is a young English soldier of the British Expeditionary Force seeking to escape the beach of Dunkirk as Germans are closing in.
- The Everyman: He's given even less characterisation and backstory than Peter and Mr. Dawson, has no particular military skills like Farrier, isn't an officer like Commander Bolton, and is mostly just doing his best to survive the situation. His name even happens to be a common nickname given to British infantry soldiers.
- Guile Hero: Perhaps not as much as Gibson, but Tommy's quite sharp for thinking of masquerading as a medic to get on board a boat, even though it doesn't earn him a place on it. Later, when some Germans start shooting the trawler that Tommy, Gibson, Alex, and a few other soldiers are hiding in; Tommy points out that the bullet pattern in the hull means that their assailants, who don't know that there are soldiers aboard, are just taking the opportunity for target practice. This spares them from getting themselves killed.
- I Owe You My Life: He points out Gibson saved their lives and that of everyone else on the sinking hospital ship when Gibson is revealed to be a French soldier in disguise inside the trawler.
- The Jinx: Almost every ship that he touches gets destroyed. Hospital ship, destroyer, lifeboat (crushed in surf the next day), and trawler. Only the Moonstone doesn't suffer the same fate.
- Meaningful Name: "Tommy Atkins" is a well-known slang term for British soldiers of the first and second World Wars. Given that Tommy has little distinct personality, but is simply one of thousands of soldiers, all of whom are in similar dire straights, this seems rather appropriate.
- New Meat: He embodies a generation of young men who were thrown in the war with no prior experience of it.
- Nice Guy: He has no discernible Jerkass trait, he acts to help others when given the chance, and he stands up for Gibson when the latter is revealed to have impersonated a dead British soldier.
- Pinball Protagonist: In contrast to the characters in "The Sea" and "The Air", who make important decisions affecting the outcome for other characters, the main characters of "The Mole" are mostly just trying to survive an increasingly perilous situation and reacting to the danger around them.
They've just lost the Battle of Dunkirk; trying to fight the enemy now would be a death sentence. It's lampshaded when Alex says, "All we did was survive". - Potty Emergency: He has one upon reaching the beach of Dunkirk. He tries to relieve himself, but gets distracted by Gibson burying a dead British soldier. He also tried to relieve himself earlier in the town, but a sudden German attack interrupts him before he can do so.
- Pursued Protagonist: The film opens with Tommy's platoon being suddenly caught under fire by German soldiers, with him barely escaping.
- Sole Survivor: Tommy is the only one of his squad to make it to the beach, with the rest being wiped out by German fire in the first five minutes. This becomes a problem for him, as no unit will accept him as he is not one of theirs, and the Grenadiers move him along from their rescue waiting line on the beach. Later, Alex and the Highlanders are willing to send him to his death in an attempt to lose some weight from the Dutch trawler, as he's also not one of theirs.
Alex
"Survival's not fair!"
Played by: Harry Styles
A British Expeditionary Force private from the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders regiment.
- Hypocrite: He accuses "Gibson" of being a Dirty Coward upon unmasking him as a French soldier who took the identity of a dead British soldier. In reality, everyone is equally desperate to leave the beach.
- I Owe You My Life: Sticks with Tommy partly out of gratitude for saving him from being crushed by the sinking hospital ship he was on.
- Jerkass: A little moreso than Tommy. Fionn and Harry have even established in interviews that Alex is the more selfish of the two.
- Jerkass Ball: He and his fellow Highlanders grab this when they try to force Gibson out of the trawler to lighten the weight despite one person not making any difference, and then threaten Tommy will be second because he is not a Highlander like they are.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: Uses a few ethnic slurs such as "Jerry" for Germans and "Frog" for Frenchmen. Of course, for the time period, this was very common with soldiers.
- Ungrateful Bastard: Both Tommy and Gibson save his life on separate occasions in the film, but when push comes to a shove, he's willing to throw both of them under the bus. First by accusing Gibson of being a German spy and trying to force him off the flooding Dutch trawler they are hiding in, and threatening to throw Tommy off next when he protested. He seems to have realized what a jerk he's been by the end of the movie, though, when he returns to England and receives a hero's welcome but comments that he doesn't feel like one.
Gibson
Played by: Aneurin Barnard
A quiet soldier Tommy befriends on the beach of Dunkirk.
- Big Damn Heroes: He opens the hatch door to save other soldiers, Tommy and Alex included, from a sinking hospital ship.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: He drowns after getting tangled in chains on the Dutch trawler.
- Dead Person Impersonation: He is actually a French soldier impersonating a dead British soldier. British soldiers were given priority for the evacuation, and he was desperate enough to do this to improve his survival chances.
- Dirty Coward: Played with. He tries to pass himself off as British by wearing a dead Brit's uniform, but it's clear all of the infantrymen are about as committed to their own survival as the next man, and aren't really in a position to morally judge the guy.
- Guile Hero: He masquerades as a British soldier to improve his chances of survival, successfully bypasses lines to board a rescue ship early, and is then doesn't go below decks, in a decision that saves numerous lives, including that of Tommy and Alex. Too bad about those chains...
- Mistaken for Spies: Alex accuses him of being a German spy because he doesn't say a word. He's actually a French soldier.
- No Name Given: "Gibson" is a stolen identity. His real name is never heard.
- The Voiceless: He never speaks to either Tommy or Alex, something the latter finds a little fishy. He is revealed to be a French soldier who can't speak English.
Commander Bolton
"There are over 400,000 men on this beach."
Played by: Kenneth Branagh
The Royal Navy officer who oversees the evacuation on the mole of the beach of Dunkirk.
- Composite Character: Seems to be one for Real Life Royal Navy officers Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsey
and Captain William Tennant, whom both oversaw Operation Dynamo's naval aspect. Bolton's final scene staying behind for the French on the mole even seems to be based off of the exploits of Tennant, who stayed on French ground right up until the last evacuation ships left on 2 June, patrolling the beaches with a megaphone searching for British troops. - Commissar Cap: With its gold braids and badge, Bolton's peaked cap is easily the most flamboyant of all the military headgear seen in the film. Doubles as Bling of War.
- Contemplative Boss: He assumes this pose while standing at the mole's top watching out at the sea.
- Deadpan Snarker: The desperate situation in the pocket of Dunkirk doesn't prevent him from indulging in snarky comments here and there."Then it's a good thing you're army and I'm navy, isn't it?"
- Face Death with Dignity: Prepares to do this at the end of the film when one of the German bombers makes one last run at the mole, standing tall and closing his eyes. Farrier manages to save him by shooting down the other plane.
- Knowledge Broker: The character who primarily keeps everyone (and by extension, the audience) informed about the battle the French are fighting in and around Dunkirk and the evacuation and has an accurate figure of how many men were evacuated at the end of the movie while he's still on the mole. Remarkable for a character who is never shown reading a piece of paper, talking on a telephone or communicating by radio.
- Manly Tears: His eyes brim with tears when he looks through his binoculars and sees the Little Ships armada coming to rescue the BEF.
- Mr. Exposition: He, as well as a few other officers on the mole, provides information on the military situation, especially about unseen battles, such as the rearguard fights of the French to slow down the German offensive. He also explains why there are so few ships (the British are keeping the rest of their fleet safe at home in order to repel an expected German invasion), and why they need the Little Ships to begin with (the civilian craft are mostly ferrying the troops to the destroyers, since otherwise the evacuation would be way too slow with only one pier for deep-draft ships to tie up and take on men).
- No One Gets Left Behind: He stays behind after the British are evacuated to make sure that the French are evacuated, too.
- Officer and a Gentleman: He commands the chaotic evacuation in a calm manner, and stays behind after the British are evacuated to oversee the evacuation of French soldiers. It's exemplified when he finds Tommy, Alex, Gibson and several other British soldiers hiding under the mole. He immediately puts them on the next ship. It's sunk by the Germans, but it's the thought that counts.
Colonel Winnant
"Civilian? We need destroyers!"
Played by: James D'Arcy
A British Expeditionary Force colonel who helps Commander Bolton oversee the evacuation.
- Artistic License – Military: His cap badge is brass whereas officers of the Royal Army Service Corps wore bronze badges. His rank badges are of a type not introduced until November 1940, five months after the evacuation was completed. And when those new badges were introduced, the colour worn by RASC officers would have been yellow, not the red worn in the film.
- Composite Character: Seems to be one for General Lord Gort, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force, and Major General Harold Alexander, who initially led its 1st Infantry Division but became responsible for an entire corps by the time of Operation Dynamo. Like his Royal Navy counterpart Bolton, Winnant's final appearance in the film alludes to one of the aforementioned Real Life figures, what with Alexander leaving Dunkirk on the last destroyer on 3 June only after ensuring that all British troops had been evacuated.
- Commissar Cap: Wears a brown British Army one in contrast to Bolton's black Royal Navy cap. Although he and Bolton are the two highest-ranking named characters in the film, Winnant's cap is actually more modest than his navy counterpart's, due to it lacking the equivalent of the latter's gold braids.
- The Men First: He along with a private who slept through the evacuation are the last British Army personnel to leave Dunkirk.
- No One Gets Left Behind: He doesn't leave the beach of Dunkirk until all of his men have been evacuated.
- The Watson: In contrast to Bolton's calmness, Winnant is clearly fearful throughout the film and repeatedly asks his naval counterpart questions allowing for exposition on the situation at large along the lines of "Where are the ships?" or "Where is the air force?"
The Sea
Mr. Dawson
"Men my age dictate this war. Why should we be allowed to send our children to fight it?"
Played by: Mark Rylance
An English pleasure boater whose vessel, the Moonstone, is requisitioned by the Royal Navy to be sent to Dunkirk to help in the evacuation. He agrees to help, but instead of giving the boat away, sails with it to Dunkirk by himself, with the help of his son Peter and Peter's friend George.
- Code of Honour: He says it's because of men of his age that young men are sent to war, and thus feels like rescuing them is the right thing to do.
- Cool Old Guy: He personally takes his boat, the Moonstone, to Dunkirk to save as many lives as he can and even evades fire from a fighter plane while doing so.
- Expy: While Mr. Dawson clearly acts as a stand-in for all the civilians who manned the "Little Ships" that went to Dunkirk, more specifically he may represent Charles Lightollernote . Lightoller's own personal boat, The Sundowner, was used during the evacuation. Similar to Dawson, Lightoller insisted on piloting the vessel himself, taking his son and another hand along with him, and personally rescued soldiers. He also evaded an attack by a Stuka dive bomber (as opposed to a Messerschmidt) by standing on the bow and ordering hard to port at the last second, taught to him by his late son Herbert, an RAF pilot killed early in the war. Not mentioned in the film is the fact his second eldest son Trevor was a 2nd Lieutenant serving in Montgomery's Third Division at Dunkirk (he was evacuated 48 hours before Lightoller arrived).
- Heroic Bystander: A civilian who's willing to risk his life in a war zone to rescue as much soldiers as he can from the pocket of Dunkirk. It's also implied by his knowledge of shell shock that he was a veteran of the first World War.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Mr. Dawson is normally pretty composed, despite the fact that he's sailing himself and two boys—one of them being his son—into a warzone. However, when the Moonstone spots Collins' downed plane in the water in front of them, Dawson gets desperate to rescue the man trapped inside. Considering how he lost his eldest son, an RAF pilot, it's understandable that he'd at least try to save the trapped pilot.[voice breaking] "He may be alive! Maybe! We may be able to help him."
- Outliving One's Offspring: Part of the reason he goes to help, is because his eldest son was a RAF pilot who died at the war a few days or weeks before, when the German invasion of France began.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: He doesn't let a Royal Navy crew take his boat. Instead, he goes to Dunkirk himself with it to take part in the rescue effort.
Peter
"Be bloody careful with him."
Played by: Tom Glynn-Carney
The son of Mr. Dawson. He accompanies his father on the Moonstone as they sail to Dunkirk to help the evacuation.
- Dissonant Serenity: Though obviously distraught at George's death, the sight of stricken Allied soldiers reminds him to focus on the task at hand instead of grieving. He even reassures the Shivering Soldier that George is fine to take off the tension on the boat.
- Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: A dignified, composed young man with hay-coloured hair who, along with his father, represents the plucky bravery and kindness of ordinary Brits back home doing what they can for the War effort. After George’s death, he ensures that his wish of appearing in the local paper is fulfilled.
- Heroic Bystander: Like his father, he's a civilian who risks his life in a war zone to rescue as many soldiers as he can from the pocket of Dunkirk. Peter physically bridges all three of the film's plotlines together through his heroics in rescuing both Collins ("The Air") and Tommy ("The Mole") from the sea during the climax set around a British minesweeper put under German air attacks.
- Improvised Weapon: His quick-thinking prompts him to use a boathook as a fire axe, saving Collins from drowning to death when he is trapped in his sinking Spitfire's cockpit.
- Take My Hand!: As the Moonstone goes to full speed in order to escape from a burning oil slick, Peter holds on to a submerged British soldier who ends up being dragged along with the vessel for several seconds before receiving enough assistance from others to lift him aboard. He turns out to be Tommy.
George
"I'll be useful, sir."
Played by: Barry Keoghan
The 17-year-old friend of Peter. He decides to join Mr. Dawson and Peter on the Moonstone to help them evacuate soldiers from Dunkirk.
- Anyone Can Die: One of the few named characters to die in the film. Rendered even sadder by the fact that he was only 17.
- Artistic License – History: Based on 18-year-old Sea Scout Gerald Ashcroft, who survived the evacuation.
- Heroic Bystander: Like Mr. Dawson and Peter, he's a civilian who's willing to risk his life in a war zone to rescue the soldiers who are trapped in the pocket of Dunkirk.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Had he chosen to stay home, he wouldn't have died. The newspaper article at the end highlights the sacrifice he made by choosing to help the evacuation.
- I Just Want to Be Special: His motivation for coming along for the journey is revealed when he mentions that he always wanted to be in the newspapers.
- Sense Loss Sadness: He loses his eyesight after the head trauma he got struggling with the PTSD soldier Mr. Dawson, Peter and him rescued. He eventually dies.
- Tagalong Kid: At 17 he's the youngest protagonist of the film, and decides to join Peter and Mr. Dawson on the Moonstone.
The Shivering Soldier
"You're weekend sailors, not the bloody Navy! ... You should be at home!"
Played by: Cillian Murphy
The first soldier to be rescued by the crew of the Moonstone. He is found by the wreckage of a sunken transport ship and is the only survivor, and his experiences have clearly deeply traumatized him.
- Anachronic Order: He is the only character in the movie whose story is told out of order.
- Character Development: Although still damaged by the whole ordeal, he manages to pull himself together enough towards the end to help with loading soldiers onto the Moonstone.
- Dirty Coward: George accuses him of this, but Dawson defends him as a Shell-Shocked Veteran. Neither side is presented as correct in the film.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Whether due to shellshock or not, his actions while on the Moonstone do not exactly reflect well on him. Nevertheless, having experienced hell at Dunkirk and had a ship sink underneath him while trying to evacuate it, he can be partially forgiven for not exactly being thrilled on finding himself heading right back there.
- Karma Houdini: He quickly loses himself in the crowd upon arrival in Britain. When Mr. Dawson looks for him, he's vanished, making it clear that he'll suffer no repercussions for his actions on the boat.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He has this reaction when he causes George to suffer a serious and ultimately fatal head trauma during a struggle.
- No Name Given: His name is never spoken.
- Officer and a Gentleman: His first appearance in the timeline is as an officer commanding the crew of a rowboat, during which he seems a good deal more calm and dignified than after the torpedo attack.
- Offscreen Teleportation: Justified, in that he was already in a slew of troops coming off the boats, so when Peter looks back to him, he's already gone in the mass of troops. Had he stayed longer, he would have seen George's body being carried out of the Moonstone. Although by that point, it's implied he knew Peter was lying to him.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: A pretty heavy case of post-traumatic stress disorder following the torpedoing of his ship. Mr. Dawson directly calls him "shell-shocked" when George asks if the soldier is a coward. A later shot of that same soldier as the calm, cool commander of a lifeboat underscores the force of the trauma he suffered when his ship was torpedoed.
- Sole Survivor: The ship he was being evacuated on was torpedoed by a German submarine, leaving him its sole survivor.
- This Is No Time to Panic: During his cameo in "The Mole" as a rowboat commander from the sunk destroyer, he instructs Tommy, Gibson, Alex and other survivors still in the water to remain calm, save their strength, and wait for other rescuers to arrive or swim back to French shores. This is out of necessity, due to his rowboat being already full and likely to capsize should more survivors attempt to board it. Ironically, he himself is driven by nothing more than fear and panic after being rescued by the Moonstone, what with his men presumably killed and nowhere to be seen.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: Especially when first dragged out of the water.
- We Are Not Going Through That Again: He refuses to go back to Dunkirk since the Moonstone has to go there to rescue more soldiers, and tries to hijack control of the boat from Mr. Dawson."Look, I'm not going back. I'm not going back. Look at it. If...If we go there, we'll die."
The Air
Farrier
"I'm on him."
Played by: Tom Hardy
Dubbed by: Jérémie Covillault (European French)
A Royal Air Force pilot whose section heads to Dunkirk to protect the evacuation from German planes.
- Ace Pilot: Shoots down a number of German bombers and fighters on his own with his Spitfire. He even shoots a Stuka down while gliding after running out of fuel. In fact, he is at least closenote to making Ace in a day, a rare feat even by Ace Pilot standards.
- Cool Plane: He pilots a Supermarine Spitfire, which is probably the most famous British plane of World War II.
- Heroic Sacrifice: He stays over Dunkirk much longer than his Spitfire's fuel reserve allows him to in order to protect the ships and embarking soldiers, knowing perfectly well he won't be able to make it back to base. He eventually lands... in enemy controlled territory. At best, he can expect to spend the next five years in a Nazi prison camp.
- MacGyvering: When combat damage to his aircraft's instrument panel disables his fuel gauge, he improvises by pulling out a piece of chalk and writing down on the metal surface how many gallons Collins has at the moment from time to time. After Collins is forced to ditch in the Channel, he has no way to track what he's got left, but obviously knows it's not enough when he chooses to stay and fight, and is forced to land in enemy-held territory and accept his fate as a prisoner of war.
- Nerves of Steel: He never panics, staying calm even as he is fired at and as his plane suffers more and more damage.
- One-Man Army: As much as one man can be in such an intensely realistic film. Farrier is probably the most individually impactful soldier in the film, shooting down multiple German planes—including a bomber—himself and saving the lives of likely hundreds of British soldiers both in the ships and on the beach. And he does all of this knowing full well that if he stays and fights he's not going to have enough fuel for the return journey home.
- Stiff Upper Lip: Stays calm even under fire and when his plane suffers increasing amounts of damage. Only has an Oh, Crap! moment when his plane runs out of fuel.
- The Stoic: After taking out several German aircraft, including nailing an attacking Stuka while gliding, he manages to get himself to a safe landing on the beach, then calmly climbs out and torches his plane with a flare gun before surrendering to the Wehrmacht.
- You Are in Command Now: Fortis Leader, the Spitfire section's◊ commander, is shot down and killed early in his unit's sortie to Dunkirk. Farrier, seemingly the next most experienced of the original trio, immediately replaces him thereafter.
Collins
"He's on me!"
Played by: Jack Lowden
A Royal Air Force pilot, Farrier's wingman when their section flies to Dunkirk to protect the evacuation.
- Ace Pilot: He is no slouch with his Spitfire, shooting down a German plane before being forced to ditch.
- Actor Allusion: This is not the first time Jack Lowden's character serves in the British Empire as a soldier.
- Brave Scot: Collins, who reacts to being pulled from his sinking plane at the last minute with a casual "Afternoon".
- Bling of War: In contrast to Farrier, who wears a modest but functional turtleneck under a leather flight jacket, Collins flies into combat with only a "Mae West" life jacket over a formal service dress uniform◊.
- Brought Down to Normal: Forced to ditch by landing in the water, leaving him trapped before the Moonstone reaches him. Once on board, he pitches into Mr. Dawson's rescue effort.
- Cool Plane: Like Farrier, he pilots a Spitfire.
- Sole Survivor: Not literally, given the fact that Farrier safely landed in France to be captured by the Germans, but nevertheless is the only member of his original Spitfire section◊ to return home to fight another day.
- Stiff Upper Lip: Stays calm even under fire and when his plane suffer increasing amounts of damage. Only starts panicking when he nearly drowns in his cockpit. But he returns to style after being rescued — his response to Peter saving him from drowning is a simple "Afternoon".
- Wingman: He accompanies Farrier over the Channel.
Fortis Leader
Played by: Michael Caine (uncredited)
A Royal Air Force pilot, he leads Farrier and Collins' section to Dunkirk to fly cover for the evacuation.
- Actor Allusion: Michael Caine previously played an RAF pilot in Battle of Britain, which historically takes place a month or two after Operation Dynamo.
- Cool Plane: As with the other members of his section, Fortis Leader flies a Spitfire.
- Deadpan Snarker: When his wingmen wonder why the army isn't evacuating from the (much larger) port at Calais:Fortis Leader: The enemy had something to say about it.
- The Faceless: Unlike Farrier and Collins, only the exterior of Fortis Leader's Spitfire is shown.
- No Name Given: Collins and Farrier refer to their section lead only as Fortis Leader.
Antagonists
The German(s) / The Enemy
The unseen German army antagonists of the film, from the Heer (Germany Army),Kriegsmarine (German Navy), and Luftwaffe (German Air Force). Establish themselves in the beginning by having German soldiers from offscreen gun down Tommy's regiment, then bombing the beach full of lined-up British soldiers with Stukas.
- The Dreaded: All the British soldiers and civilians are terrified of the Germans, especially the scenes in which the Stukas are involved.
- Eldritch Abomination: From the Brits' perspective, at least. Especially if they're not in their own fighter and bomber planes.
- Evil Wears Black: They are depicted in black or otherwise very dark uniforms.
- The Ghost / Humans Are Cthulhu: The Germans are portrayed as a powerful and deadly ultimate force. Also, they are noticeably absent from the picture. They aren't even called out by name in the opening title cards and general dialogue, referred to only as "the enemy." (the only time they were referred directly, it was by an angry soldier and even then in the form of the pejorative slang "Jerrys", and the conversation he brings it up in isn't even about them) They are primarily represented in the film by aircraft, unseen U-boats, or shots fired from off-screen. The only Germans seen are the ones who take Farrier prisoner at the end of the movie when he crash-lands on the beach. Even they have their faces blurred to seem like some supernatural menace. When they launch air attacks on the beaches, the attackers reveal themselves only as distant flying shapes, not people in planes.
- Guy in Back: The Heinkel 111 and Ju 87 both have rear gunners to shoot down any attacking Allied fighters on their tails. One of them in fact comes close to killing Farrier.
- Knight of Cerebus: Any scene with the Germans in it darkens the mood and sets a tense atmosphere, with a few characters dying. The most notable scene being the pack of British soldiers trapped inside a trawler, with the German soldiers shooting at the trawler for no specific reason.
- Nothing Is Scarier: They are never seen in up close or in person (except for the end), and are all the scarier for it.
- Propaganda Machine: In the opening scenes of the film, Tommy and his squad wander through Dunkirk’s deserted streets, which the Germans have leaflet-bombed with maps showing the British/French position completely surrounded by incoming German forces in an attempt to further destroy their morale.
- Stuka Scream: Their Ju 87 Stuka Dive Bombers produce this noise upon entering an attack run, thanks to their built-in Jericho Sirens. Justified, as this device was in use during the time the film takes place.
- Unseen Evil: Christopher Nolan's decision to not show the Germans or their perspective of Operation Dynamo onscreen stems from the fact that the British soldiers at Dunkirk in Real Life had very little interaction with them themselves.
