Grade: 4/5
Brilliant. Visually stunning. Worth the price of admission and more. This was a movie. Compelling from start to finish and this is coming from someone who is not a war movie buff. I could not sit through Saving Private Ryan and slept through Dunkirk. But this was different. It is Blair Witch Project meets The Revenant in a World War I setting.
The story is a non complicated one – two British soldiers are ordered by General Erinmore (Colin Firth) to deliver a handwritten note to their troops on the front lines to call off an attack on the Germans as it has been discovered, is a trap. The two lance corporals given this unenviable responsibility are Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman from Game of Thrones) and Schofield (George MacKay). Their task is to traverse a large part of a no man’s land in order to reach their eventual destination. Blake’s brother is a lieutenant on the front so he has an added motivation to reach him before the attack is executed. This is where the pulsating drama unfolds.
The movie proceeds in real time, the camera meandering skillfully through the trenches following these two lads, result being an astonishing, intense and thrilling cinematic experience – as if we are side by side with them on this perilous journey. This is trench warfare the likes of which haven’t been seen on the big screen. I compare it to playing the Fortnite video game in a movie theater.
There are several scenes portraying the horrors of war – dead bodies, animal carcasses, despair and hopelessness but the movie does a good job not to have that as the dominant theme. Only conclusion one derives from movies like “1917” – no one wins in war, it’s a zero sum game and everyone loses.
Side Note: 1917 is inspired by the stories told to Director Sam Mendes by his paternal grandfather (Alfred Mendes) who was a “runner” in the British army during WWI, delivering messages from one regiment to another . It is not based on Alfred Mendes’ own experience, but what he saw first hand. Cameos by Colin Firth (King’s Speech), Benedict Cumberbatch (Dr. Strange from Avengers) and Richard Madden (Rob Stark from Game of Thrones) are an added bonus.
Bottom Line: This movie is a masterpiece in its genre. The length of two hours is just right – any longer would have turned off viewers like myself who aren’t war movie aficionados. The cinematography is breathtaking and photography is stellar. This is not a film that provides any type of history lesson on WWI. It’s a moment in time, April 6 1917 to be exact and follows the story of two young soldiers crossing dangerous lands to remit an important message to the British troops on the battlefront to avoid an ambush from the Germans.
It has deservedly received accolades from the academy, nominated for 10 Oscars (including Best Picture and Best Director) and the hair raising score of the movie makes it an undeniable winner.
Great review and really makes me want to go see it!!