Directed by: Sam Mendes
Written by: Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Cast: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay
Swift shot: The whole film is nearly one continuous shot, and it will stick with you forever. This is a story that perfectly complements Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old, as it centers on two Lance Corporals of the British Army on a desperate mission to call off a pointless attack on the Hindenburg Line.
I wasn’t quick to see this movie, because I knew it would be a painful reminder of the terrible cost of war. I knew it was going to be depressing and morbid. It was, and war is.
From the very beginning of the movie, we start following Blake (Chapman) and Schofield (MacKay) as they have been ordered to speak with their Commanding Officer, General Erinmore (Colin Firth). If you have ever been in the military, it is incredibly rare for a lowly Lance Corporal to be called to speak a General. It would be like getting asked to see the CEO of your company if you were a mail room clerk. Nothing good can come of it.
So, right away, they both know this isn’t some routine mission. It isn’t, it is basically a suicide mission that if they fail, thousands of their countrymen will die. No pressure.
Thus begins their most perilous journey through enemy lines, and we get an uninterrupted cinematic masterpiece. When movies like this come out, they change the game completely.
With a straight-forward plot and only the realistic horrors that befall our heroes to entertain, the audience becomes immersed in the trenches like never before. Will anyone be able to match this effort? I doubt it.
1917 has been nominated for all of the awards, but unlike other critically-acclaimed movies, it deserves them all. I can find no fault with this film. Whenever you think it is about to get dull, it delivers some new horrible obstacle for our heroes to overcome. You can taste the danger. It’s in the air with you.
I have always said that World War II makes sense to me as a historian. But World War I always felt so pitifully pointless. There was not a push to end fascism. It was like a few dickheads in power decided to play Risk with the lives of others. Disgusting.
Speaking of disgusting, 1917 is not for weak people. There are moments of pure gore and visceral reminders of the fragile nature of what makes up the human body. Several times throughout my screening, I kept muttering Jesus Christ, for the shock of it all and maybe to call on the man upstairs as a reminder that he is still there.
My only somewhat sore spot with 1917 is that I started to wonder how they were pulling it off, the constant one-shot, the varying angles, the seamless transitions to perspective and the actors professionalism, wondering how many takes this “one-shot” really was. That gimmick took me out of the trenches, however briefly.
For a film to be brilliant, it has to stand-alone without relying on a gimmick. Thus the failure of Dunkirk, but 1917 was perfect. The gimmick was used to amplify the plight of the men and their mission. It was never a distraction. And you can tell Mendes understood that with every second of screen time.
It’s rare that I say a film is flawless in execution. 1917 is a flawless film. Go see it!
