1917 – A Movie Review
April 1917, the Western Front. Two British soldiers are sent to deliver an urgent message to an isolated regiment. If the message is not received in time the regiment of 1,600 men will walk into a trap and be massacred. To get to the regiment they will need to cross through enemy territory. Time is of the essence and the journey will be fraught with danger.
Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Stars: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA): Rated R for violence, some disturbing images, and language; Genres: Drama | War; Release Date: 10 January 2020 (USA); Runtime: 119 min.
We saw this movie in the afternoon about two weeks ago at WestShore Plaza AMC. The theater wasn’t packed for that showing but was probably just under half full. The silence during the film was deafening. I don’t think anyone moved a muscle once the movie was rolling.
The word I’d used to describe the film would be poetic. That’s about all I can come up with. This was absolutely the best film I’ve seen in a while, and Lay agreed.
I’ve had opportunities to read stories about WWI and had some appreciation of the horrific existence WWI soldiers experienced in trench warfare. This film depicted the dangers, rigors, and tedium of that type of warfare in excruciating detail.
Thanks to today’s advances in film making along with a large studio budget Mr. Mendes takes us through an adventure every bit as harrowing as Saving Private Ryan and Thin Red Line.
The much-talked-about use of the single-shot concept was brilliant as it brings you in the trenches and adds to the realism to the film. (Here’s a video on IMDB in which the director discusses why he used the technique–Watch )
There was no slow part in the movie and you will be pulled in from the first minute of the film. The dialogue was great and certainly was a key component of making the single-shot method work here. There is no pointless exposition in the movie.
This isn’t a piece to glorify war but rather demonstrate how one can be brave all the while showing their vulnerabilities and fear that any normal person would feel in that type of situation. There are no gratuitous bits in the film to exemplify heroism, just a simple story that allows the characters to shine and define bravery on their own terms. There is a scene just prior to the time for the attack to start in which a soldier (Jos Slovick) is standing in a light mist amongst soldiers in a forest singing “I Am A Poor Wayfaring Stranger,” which I promise will send chills down your spine.
From the acting to the haunting score, to the cinematography, editing and overall direction of the film Mr. Mendes absolutely knocked it out of the park.
From me, this one gets a Nine. There were only 2 short scenes that seemed a little out of place, but it was perfect otherwise. Let us know what you thought of the movie.
(1 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)
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