During World War I, on April 6th 1917 on a battlefield in Northern France, two British soldiers: Lance Corporal Schofield and Lance Corporal 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 comrades, including Blake's brother, from walking straight into a deadly trap. Braving the many dangers of the great war the two soldiers venture forth to save the lives of thousands. I was blown away by this movie. The cinematography was incredible with some of the most amazing shots I have ever seen, especially with the way it was filmed to appear as one continuous shot throughout. The technique used in the film was so well done, that I almost thought it truly was done in one shot. The only times this is broken on screen is when the screen fades to black, otherwise, it was cleverly hidden in plain sight through scenes of passing behind a tree, which would end the scene and begin the next but it was done so seamlessly that if you weren't looking so hard to catch it out, you would think it was completely continuous. Filming in this style was such a brilliant idea because it constantly has you moving forward and you feel every step on their journey in real-time, feeling like a third soldier on this mission, getting us up close and personal. With little to no breaks, we are taken on that journey and experience all the hardships first-hand. This can best be seen during the opening segment with the crossing of no man's land, which is a difficult area to navigate with obstacles like barbed wire and craters. This feature is a huge testament to director, Sam Mendes and the crew for creating a technical filming achievement that has me wanting to see more films done in this way. I have always been fascinated by the 1st and 2nd World Wars as a part of our history and is a period I find very interesting to learn about, especially since this historical conflict is presented much less than WWII in media, both movies and video games. This film perfectly encapsulates the gritty feel and look of a world at war, showing us the true horrors of the time. The film isn't heavily action based with full-out warfare, it has some action and tense fights but nothing so grand as you expect from most war films, which if anything works to this film's advantage of visual storytelling. If it is more action, battle-filled products set in the 1st World War, there are plenty out there and if you like video games check out the magnificent: Battlefield 1 (Video Game 2016) that has the same amount of detail as this movie. I think this film does a phenomenal job at breaking those expected stereotypes of war films, especially by implementing the one-shot technique, which ups the tension and gets us, the viewer, in the world, feeling close to the characters on their journey and mission. The whole film is laced with heart-in-mouth moments that have you uneasy at every step with a constant dread at what could be around the corner. Both Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George Mackay) are exceptionally well-played in this film and are extremely compelling. A great deal of weight is put on the expedition with the knowledge of Blake's brother as one of the 1,600 lives in danger, which drives them forward as a constant weight on their shoulders. It is very hard to pick my favourite moment, but if I had to choose one, it would be the most iconic scene where Schofield runs across the on-charging soldiers over the front line as explosions blow around them. Truly a superb sequence certain to have you on the edge of your seat. Overall, 1917 is unlike anything I have witnessed, especially for the war genre. The amount of effort and time that has gone into making this is really impressive, right down to the smallest of details they implemented to make it so believable (which can be seen in the behind-the-scenes video below). From crossing no man's land and the devastation around them to running through a destroyed town lit only by flares and burning buildings in an on-foot chase, this film has so many visually detailed and intriguing shots certain to have you in complete awe. I can say that this is undoubtedly worth looking at. What a masterpiece.
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