1917

Following a German retreat from the front lines in France, British Gen. Erinmore (Colin Firth) receives aerial intelligence that indicates that the Germans are laying in wait to ambush the pursuing British forces. He dispatches two lance corporals, Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Will Schofield (George MacKay) to send word to the pursuers to call off their attack lest they lose more than 1,000 men, Blake’s brother among them. Though Blake is eager to help, Schofield is hesitant. As they get closer to their objective, however, the way forward becomes more and more perilous.

Basing the film on his grandfather’s war stories, writer/director Sam Mendes has crafted an ostensibly personal film that still manages to feel overly familiar. During the past few decades, The Great War has not received nearly as much cinematic attention as World War II, so this lack of novelty can, to an extent, be forgiven. Even so, missions to relay news (Saving Private Ryan) and following a few select soldiers as they hop from dangerous situation to dangerous situation (Dunkirk) have been shown before, and what 1917 offers thematically (war is hell, you fight for the person beside you, etc.) is hardly revelatory.

Aesthetically, however, 1917 is masterful. With very few cuts, Roger Deakins’ cinematography is meant to evoke one long take, and while that lends the film a distinctive fluidity, it is hardly the only noteworthy aspect of the film’s style. Wreckage and carnage under blank grey-white skies evoke sorrow while dark, claustrophobic entries into former German-occupied buildings and trenches are shot like a horror movie. Add to this the sinister awe of a city aflame at night, the pristine beauty of cherry trees amid green hills, Thomas Newman’s foreboding score and sharp editing, and 1917 is powerful and immersive in a way that belies its narrative simplicity.

The acting isn’t quite as jaw-dropping, but it is far from a letdown. While Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Mark Strong have small roles as officers, Chapman and especially MacKay carry this movie. The former’s affability contrasts with the latter’s initial sourness though Schofield undergoes quite a turn as his mettle is tested time and time again.

1917 might not have anything new to say about war, but the technically dazzling way in which it says it rightly commands an audience’s attention the whole way through.