1917 – Film of the week

I think its safe to say the “war” genre of films is well oversaturated; filled with mediocre re-tellings of the same story, it’s hard to even consider batting an eyelid when another comes out.

And then 1917 was released, and I’d say some eyelids are still batting, almost two years later.

During World War I, two British soldiers, Lance Cpl Schofield (George MacKay) and Lance Cpl Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), 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 lives… including that of Blake’s own brother.

The film is made to look like one continuous shot, so no cuts or edits in the whole movie… (well there is one cut but it’s necessary for story progression so it doesn’t count).

By making a film in this way, it allows the audience to become a lot closer to the characters; intimate even.

The writing is equally as integral, allowing us to get close to the characters; slowly revealing details to us while still retaining some mystery, just like they were a new friend.

In addition to this, the writing in 1917 is quite far removed from other war movies. We see the softer, unprepared side of the characters, not just the shooting and killing we’re used to.

Dean-Charles Chapman stars as Lance Cpl Blake, a new soldier to the army, and henceforth, is grievously unprepared. Chapman shows us the fear and worry his character experiences, and we feel for him during the heavier scenes of the movie.

George MacKay stars as Lance Cpl Scofield, a more experienced soldier. His character is more reserved; hence we don’t see the same level of emotion in MacKay’s performance than we see in Chapman’s.

However, over the course of the film, we see an entire personality change, slowly uncovering the softer side of MacKay’s character, and as he has his emotional arc, we’re right there with him, feeling every emotion as he does.

The film is directed by Sam Mendez, who is best known for the James Bond films; Skyfall and Spectre.

The direction is nothing short of phenomenal; truly mind-blowing stuff.

As I mentioned, the film is made to look like one shot, which is an incredibly difficult thing to do. Mendez takes the challenge head on, making the seemingly impossible task look effortless, all the while maintaining that stylish and classy look his films are known for.

Overall, 1917 is a film which almost redeems the war film genre from all the wrongs over the past few decades.

1917 is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.

by Jack Baxter