1917

Starring: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Richard Madden

Director: Sam Mendes

Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), two young officers in the British military, have been given a daunting and almost impossible mission. Intelligence has learned that the following morning, one of their battalions is going to be walking into a trap, Blake’s own brother among the 1,600 soldiers that will be doing so. With time running out, the two men must travel deep into enemy territory to stop the attack before lives are lost.

This is an intense, visceral movie, designed to take place during two seemingly unbroken takes. Kudos to director Sam Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins (who may be adding another statue to his mantle) for creating a visually interesting film with a relentless pace. You’re in it with these two guys from the go and the film keeps you invested in their mission, something Dunkirk tried and was unsuccessful in doing. Honestly, if the Golden Globe nominations for best director carry through to the Oscar nominations, I’d give the prize to either Mendes or Bong Joon Ho for Parasite. Mendes directs the hell outta the movie and it’s my favorite of his since Road to Perdition.

Another aspect that helps this film eclipse Dunkirk is the lead performance by George MacKay as Schofield. Best known as one of the kids in Captain Fantastic, this should catapult him to stardom. Whether it’s in a tender moment with a French woman who is taking care of a baby or the dogged ferocity that he displays as he runs across a battlefield to deliver the warning, MacKay displays an amazing raw talent. Various famous British actors (Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Richard Madden) pop up in small roles, but that ends up being more distracting and one of my least favorite aspects, outside of Andrew Scott.

Outside of the phenomenal cinematography, the score and production design is excellent. Schofield covers a lot of ground, from trenches/underground bunkers, bombed out war fields, and burned down houses. It’s pretty fantastic attention to detail, which is aided by music that doesn’t distract and adds to the already palpable tension. Seeing this in a theater is an absolute must.

Writing this review I realized that despite really having nothing of note that I disliked, other than the cameos, I wanted to give it a lower grade than my praise would seem to warrant. I think I figured out why. There are simply other movies I liked better. While the film is a technical marvel and found a very interesting way to make a war movie, I don’t really have a want or need to see it again.

B+