1917 (2019)

By: Mike Ward on Friday, January 10

R Running Time: 119 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

1917 is groundbreaking, urgent, and emotional and features scenes and images that people will likely be discussing for a long time to come.
Resembling one continuous take, 1917 places you on an emotional journey with two soldiers tasked with delivering a message that will potentially save 1,600 British soldiers from an ambush.
Sam Mendes’ bold vision, Roger Deakins’ Oscar-worthy cinematography, and the technical elements support two great acting performances and create an immersive world we can’t turn away from.

NO

What many love about 1917, the single continuous take, strikes some people as gimmicky, and distracting.
The plot is rather basic in set-up and for those who seek a bigger context and understanding of the conflict these soldiers find themselves in, while orienting to time and place, 1917 has a rather narrow focus.
The artistry, for some, will get in the way of the message and depiction that war is brutal and causes tremendous emotional and physical damage to those who survive it.

OUR REVIEW

Breathtaking, tense, and offering a presentation unlike anything you may have seen before, Sam Mendes’ stunning 1917 is a movie that some may erroneously discard as “another war film.”

Much has been made of Mendes’ decision to make 1917 resemble one continuous take, an approach which adds to the proverbial “fog of war” soldiers of all disciplines have written about and discussed. Mendes succeeds in crafting a gripping, unrelenting adventure involving two young British soldiers tasked with delivering a message that must be delivered in the hopes it can save 1,600 fellow soldiers and country from catastrophic loss during World War I.

The soldiers, Schofield (George McKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman), are stationed in northeastern France and find themselves commissioned by General Erinmore (Colin Firth) to deliver an urgent message personally to Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch). The message is a simple one, but gravely important: The planned advance set to be made by Mackenzie is a trap, and his battalion is set up for an ambush by German forces who appear to be in retreat.

The problem with this: The advance is imminent, and Schofield and Blake must race against time, across terrain believed to be recently relinquished by the Germans, in order to stop the advance and save British soldiers from certain injury and death.

The construct allows for Mendes to keep us invested in the journey, while playing around with time a bit. The film, in narrative, covers the better part of many hours, while Mendes’ film clocks in at just under two hours. By allowing the film to appear as one continuous shot, time becomes almost an unnecessary component to the story at hand. We have no ticking clocks, no reminders as to what time it may be. Rather, Schofield and Blake take the missive and go, as quickly and evasively as possible.

From a purely cinematic standpoint, 1917 has elements about it which could be discussed for years to come. At the very top of the list is the masterful cinematography from Oscar winner Roger Deakins, who, if awards prognosticators are to be believed, should be in line for a second Academy Award in February 2020. His work here is simply superb, flawless in execution, creating memorable moments and capturing images indelible to the experience of watching 1917 unfold before you.

Thomas Newman’s score is among the finest of the year, underscoring the tension and emotions present, often for characters who simply do not and cannot allow their feelings to come to the surface. The work from production designer Dennis Gassner is likewise an astonishing achievement. In recreating trenches, caves, and bunkers, the scale of Gassner’s work allows Mendes’ vision of a one-take story to largely exist. The landscape which 1917 plays out on is painstakingly realistic and helps transport us into the journey the two young soldiers are fated with executing.

While not based on a true story per se, Mendes drew inspiration for the film from stories shared by his grandfather, a World War I veteran. One story he remembered hearing while growing up, about a messenger tasked with a delivery, laid the foundation for what would become an eventual screenplay Mendes would write with Krysty Wilson-Cairns, making her feature film debut.

Mendes does not hold back showing the impersonal realities of the casualties and horrors of war. Moments within the film will make you cringe and want to cover your eyes. However, there is a humanity to all this which proves unmistakable. Behind the artifice of the single-take gimmick, Mendes is himself on a quest – to attempt to place the viewer into an untenable situation where the only option is to not stop, no matter what comes your way.

The single-take approach does reduce some of the suspense, if only because we are likely savvy enough viewers to recognize that challenges must continue for our main characters as they dodge bullets, bombs, and enemy soldiers to complete their seemingly impossible journey. And even though the film can feel slightly episodic in nature, Mendes keeps the accelerator pushed down hard and, in turn, our nerves frayed and exposed.

One scene, where Schofield finds something of a quiet, momentary sanctuary with an unlikely inhabitant, allows us to catch our breath. And yet, the bittersweet nature of this scene is indicative of why 1917 becomes such an unforgettable and immersive viewing experience: There’s no time to care about anything or anyone who may stop us from seeing this mission to its completion.

The stakes are simply way too high.

CAST & CREW

Starring: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, Richard Madden, Daniel Mays, Robert Maaser.

Director: Sam Mendes
Written by: Sam Mendes, Krysty Wilson-Cairns
Release Date: December 25, 2019
Universal Pictures

1917 is groundbreaking, urgent, and emotional and features scenes and images that people will likely be discussing for a long time to come.

Resembling one continuous take, 1917 places you on an emotional journey with two soldiers tasked with delivering a message that will potentially save 1,600 British soldiers from an ambush.

Sam Mendes’ bold vision, Roger Deakins’ Oscar-worthy cinematography, and the technical elements support two great acting performances and create an immersive world we can’t turn away from.

What many love about 1917, the single continuous take, strikes some people as gimmicky, and distracting.

The plot is rather basic in set-up and for those who seek a bigger context and understanding of the conflict these soldiers find themselves in, while orienting to time and place, 1917 has a rather narrow focus.

The artistry, for some, will get in the way of the message and depiction that war is brutal and causes tremendous emotional and physical damage to those who survive it.