1917
2019 · Directed by Sam Mendes
Original language: English
- war
- drama
- history
The story
At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers.
What it’s like
Long, unbroken tracking shots that follow two young soldiers through mud, ruined villages and dugouts, the camera seemingly stitched together so that cuts almost never interrupt the walk. The palette is washed-out khaki, grey and bruised green, with sunlight arriving pale and hazy over flat fields, then flaring orange against night fires and burning towns. Sound does much of the work: the constant drone of distant guns, whistles, shouted orders, a sparse, pulsing score that rises as the clock tightens. The vibe is tense, claustrophobic urgency, a race-against-time dread that rarely lets up, best suited to a focused evening when you can give it your full attention rather than background noise. Pacing is relentless and forward-moving, with quieter pockets of fear and fleeting human kindness between set pieces. Its emotional register is grim but deeply humane, following a young man who comes to see the cost of duty and the fragility of those he meets along the way. Violence is intense and sudden: wartime gunfire, explosions, bodies and injuries shown without much lingering gore, with moments of real peril that land hard. For people who want immersive, visceral war cinema with a strong sense of place and momentum.
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