1917, director Sam Mendes’s latest venture (American Beauty, Road to Perdition), is a stunning achievement in cinematography, visual effects, sound editing, sound mixing, production design, makeup and design, and direction. While not everyone will be on board with the story, it is hard to deny this movie’s technical accomplishments. I found the story gripping. Still, I completely understand why some will have problems with the sequencing of events, the placement of props, or the overall mission. If, like me, you can let yourself become immersed in all this movie brings to the table, you will have one of the more emotional movie-theater experiences of your lifetime.
1917 is the best movie of 2019, a year that (as a whole) has been less than stellar. I’ve often waited with bated breath for the final couple of movies of previous years, thinking they would be the best (or at least vying for the year’s best). More often than not, I have been highly disappointed. That is not the case with 1917. It reminded me why I like seeing so many of my movies in the theater. 1917 is an absolute theater watch. I may see it again before it exits the big screen, and I will watch it at home many times in the coming years. I hope the cinema experience carries over for those who only get to see it at home.
The movie follows two British soldiers. Lance Corporal Schofield (George MacKay – Captain Fantastic, Defiance) and Lance Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman – Blinded by the Light, The King) are given the nearly impossible task of crossing into former German-occupied territory in that ladder stages of World War I to deliver a message that will stop 1600 soldiers from walking into a German trap that will instantly wipe out all of them. General Erinmor (The King’s Speech, A Single Man) taps Blake because his brother is one of the 1600 men awaiting sure death if the message isn’t delivered on time and hopes that this will be the extra motivation that is needed for the two men to get there before the command is issued to charge the Germans. No specific time is given, but it seems the two men start their mission just after first light and have about 24 hours to reach their destination.
This movie’s achievements are not the same as its story (which, again, I liked, but I understand the plot holes some have and the convenience of people/places/timing/etc.). The acting was fine, but the movie wasn’t built around its cast. Relative newcomers Schofield and Blake were green at the start; the film strips them of their innocence halfway through. But seeing the movie through their eyes as young men trying to do the right thing by accomplishing their mission but questioning why just the two of them were assigned this (likely) suicide mission in the first place makes it seem like we are experiencing the atrocities of war along with them.
The main reason I saw this film was the idea that it was done in a single shot. But, of course, it wasn’t. We experience a full day’s worth of events in less than two hours. But it is shot so that it never strays from the face of one of the two main characters, except to occasionally show what they are looking at from their vantage point. The transitions are subtle, such as walking through a door and coming out on the other side to a different period. The film’s one-shot aspect is its crowning success, and it’s the one thing people know about it. It is done phenomenally well, especially when Schofield and Blake go through both their trenches and those of their enemies. This is further showcased through the various situations the two men encounter. I’ll be the first to admit that, with some of these random events, the movie was more effective. We needed the events in the opposing trenches, the small towns, no man’s land, and behind enemy lines to have a story that wasn’t two guys going from Point A to Point B to deliver a message. I loved how the story changed the two leads, for better or worse.
While this movie received an R rating, it isn’t because it is overly gory. It is not like Saving Private Ryan or Hacksaw Ridge in this aspect. The language wasn’t very vulgar either. It certainly had some mature themes, and most good war movies like this often receive that R rating. Mature teenagers could handle this movie, and it would be good for them to see it.
In a couple of reviews, I have read that the movie becomes obsessed with the feature-length single-shot approach at the expense of a cohesive story, complex characters, and an overall purpose. I can’t entirely agree. I understand this movie isn’t based on a true story, and even the mission itself might seem far-fetched, sending just two soldiers on their own to save 1600 soldiers. But I’m not going to let that take away from a movie I felt was perfect on so many levels. 1917 is an absolute must-watch theater experience for anyone who appreciates a good war movie or technical perfection. 1917 is the movie of the year for 2019.
Plot 8.5/10
Character Development 9/10
Character Chemistry 9/10
Acting 9/10
Screenplay 8.5/10
Directing 10/10
Cinematography 10/10
Sound 10/10
Hook and Reel 10/10
Universal Relevance 10/10
97.5%
A+
Movies You Might Like If You Liked This Movie
- Hacksaw Ridge
- Saving Private Ryan
- The Thin Red Line
- Dunkirk
- Enemy at the Gates