The best British films of 2017: from Dunkirk to God's Own Country

From blockbusters to indie gems, these are the best British films of 2017
Dunkirk: One of the best British movies released in 2017
Melinda Sue Gordon
Harry Fletcher21 December 2017

British film is stronger than ever in 2017.

As well as boasting some of the best actors in the game, the UK has produced a selection of wonderful films this year, with a whole host more still to come.

From blockbusters to indie gems, these are the best British films of 2017.

Dunkirk

This moving and visually staggering film focuses on the Dunkirk evacuation of 1940 from three key perspectives: land, sea and air. Dunkirk features awe-inspiring cinematography, cleverly interwoven time frames, and one of the best ensemble casts of the year; even Harry Styles’s performance is surprisingly convincing. It’s without a doubt one of 2017’s must-watch films, and another feather in the cap of director Christopher Nolan.

T2 Trainspotting

Danny Boyle’s long-awaited sequel to classic Brit-flick Trainspotting revisits the lives of Begbie, Sick Boy, Spud and Renton 20 years on. Its film about ageing, and it spends a lot of the time examining how the past can have huge influence over the present. It’s also a lot funnier than the original film, and does itself justice as a follow-up to the classic film.

The Snowman

Michael Fassbender stars as detective Harry Hole in this murky murder mystery, who must battle his personal demons and work alongside Rebecca Ferguson’s Katrine Bratt to solve the mystery of The Snowman; a sociopathic killer whose calling card is building snowmen near the scenes of his crimes. It’s based on the best-seller by Jo Nesbo, who’s a dependably safe pair of hands when it comes to crime thrillers, and Fassbender is eminently watchable as always as a detective troubled by addiction and personal struggles.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Kingsman came out of nowhere to become a huge hit back in 2014, and now secret agent Eggsy is back to save the world for a second time. Kingsman: The Golden Circle is double the spectacle of the original, and also features performances from the likes of Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges who play the Kingsman’s American cousins The Statesmen. It’s fun, and doesn't take itself too seriously either, which is refreshing to see in a modern blockbuster.

Goodbye Christopher Robin

AA Milne is the subject of this heart-warming film from director Simon Curtis, which stars Domnhall Gleeson as the acclaimed childrens’ author and Margot Robbie as his wife Daphne. Milne recovers from his experiences in the First World War by creating the Winnie the Pooh stories with his son Christopher in this nicely pitched biopic.

God’s Own Country

God's Own Country is a real gem from director Francis Lee focuses on a Yorkshire-born sheep-farmer Johnny, who develops a passionate relationship with Romanian farm-hand Gheorghe. It’s a pretty graphic and grim watch at time, but it's one of the most moving films of the year, and one of the best British LGBTQ films in recent memory. Expect stunning, sweeping landscape shots of Yorkshire in Spring too, which is always a good thing.

I Am Not a Witch

One of the highlights from this year’s London Film Festival, this powerful film from director Rungano Nyoni, this film tells the story of the Ghanaian women who are accused of being witches from an incredibly young age, and sent to live in camps. While the film is preoccupied with heavy themes, the film attempts to find levity amongst the darkness.

Victoria & Abdul

Judy Dench stars as Queen Victoria in this polished period drama from director Stephen Frears (High Fidelity, The Queen, Philomena), which sees the monarch form an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim. Dench is fantastic in the role as the stubborn queen, who learns to see life a little differently after spending time with her new companion.

6 Days

Jamie Bell leads the cast of this 2017 Brit film, which follows the events that took place during the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege. Mark Strong also stars in the film, which really captures the claustrophobic conditions hostages were kept under during the six day-long ordeal. The film went a little under the radar when it was released back in August, but it’s well worth checking out on DVD.

Jawbone

This is England star Johnny Harris writers and stars in the semi-autobiographical work Jawbone, which represents one of the year’s finest independent films. The movie follows the life of Harris’s former boxer, who battles alcoholism and homelessness to return to the ring for one final showdown with an upcoming fighter with a brutal reputation. Paul Weller also worked on the soundtrack for this underdog story, and Ray Winstone puts in one of his strongest performances since The Departed

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