1917

Movie 🎥 Review: “1917”.

Critics gave it a 89% the users a 93%.

Rated: R with a running time 1 hr and 59 mins, and and an IMDb of 8.6/10

Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

During World War I, two British soldiers, Lance Cpl. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Blake, receive seemingly impossible orders. In a race against time, they must cross over into enemy territory to deliver a message that could potentially save 1,600 of their fellow comrades, including Blake's own brother.

1917 is a 2019 epic war film directed, co-written and produced by Sam Mendes. The project was officially announced in June 2018, with MacKay and Chapman signing on in October and the rest of the cast the following March. Filming took place from April to June 2019 across the UK (in Scotland and England), with cinematographer Roger Deakins using long takes to have the entire film appear as one continuous shot.

1917 was theatrically released in the United States on 25 December 2019 by Universal Pictures, and in the United Kingdom on 10 January 2020, by eOne. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for Mendes's direction, the musical score, sound effects, cinematography and realism. At the 77th Golden Globe Awards the film won for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Director, while at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards it received nine nominations, including Best Film.

I was definitely excited about seeing this film and it didn’t let me down. The way it’s been filmed really puts it above other war films. Director Sam Mendes (Skyfall, American Beauty) and cinematographer Roger Deakins (Skyfall, Blade Runner 2049) have collaborated to come up with a style of filming that makes it look like one long tracking shot that never takes a break or cuts away.

The movie focuses on two individual soldiers, Blake and Schofield, throughout their mission in real time: walking though crowded bunkers, dodging snipers and crawling through mud as if we are there with them. This is a film that just HAS TO be seen in the cinema to get the full experience. It really shows the horrors of war with scenes that will shock you and sounds that will scare you.

Apart from a couple of nit-picky things there is nothing bad about this movie. There are cameos galore where the famous actor always has his back toward the camera and then dramatically turns around as if to say 'look it's me!'. The story falls into place very nicely. Throughout this film's running time I felt as if I was on this mission with these two soldiers and absolutely nothing took me out of it until the very end credits.

Mendes has managed to capture the horrors of war in full, gory detail. From dirty, rat infested bunkers to brutal deaths and amputations, nothing is off limits. 1917 definitely doesn't glamorise what these brave men had to go through. It may be difficult for some to watch, however it is a very accurate portrayal of what really happened in World War I fighting n the trenches.

It's war and it's ugly but the way it has been told is just as engrossing as what is being told. A must see at the cinema!