1917 (2020) - Review

A review of Sam Mendes’ new, personal World War I Epic.

1917 Poster

1917 is the tale of Corporal Schofield (George MacKay) and Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) as they fight time in an attempt to prevent the massacre of 1600 men including the older brother of Blake, spurred on by the personal connection the two men venture through ‘No Man’s Land’ and beyond up against insurmountable odds to succeed on their mission.

As an experience it is one of the more breathtaking things I’ve seen at the cinema in recent years, portrayed as a single shot (obviously having hidden cuts) there’s this terrifying beauty to what we see onscreen and such a visceral atmosphere which personally made me recall The Revenant (d. Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2015) another brutal and harrowing experience which Krysty Wilson-Cairns cited as an inspiration. Though it could potentially be interpreted as a gimmick and little else, the choice however ramped up the tension as far as I’m concerned, all the marketing suggests that time is in fact the enemy and frankly this serves that fully depicting the unrelenting task the two men faced. Shot by Roger Deakins who’s renowned for his stunning visuals and exceptional filmography his talent is showcased once more here and honestly if it weren’t for his involvement this would’ve been a lesser piece without a doubt. Using all natural lighting it creates some stunning visuals which are enveloped in shadows, gives a muted colour palette and much like the whole single shot concept creates some heart pounding moments with the camera practically a character as they two Corporals wind through trenches or abandoned cities running from heavily armed enemies. One can’t forget the “money shot” as well, that being Mackay’s trenchline sprint towards the films climax As men advance around him and explosions shower debris the power of a long take is truly flexed, just utterly astonishing on the big screen. Which leads to the following, this as a film is made for that very format, the biggest possible screen you could find...just sit back, switch off and truly fully engage with what Mendes brings to the screen in remarkable fashion as I‘ll happily bet any sum of money on earth that the home media versions of this will be an infinitely lesser viewing experience.

Moving onto performance, the two leads are both set to have meteoric rises following this. MacKay has been teetering on stardom for some time now after making a name for himself in the world of more independent cinema and Chapman known best as Tommen Baratheon in Game of Thrones (2011-2019) really shock by taking the film on their shoulders and with relative ease. Schofield (MacKay) is clearly the more experienced of the two and rational as a result of that with reference to his experience in the battle of the Somme opposed to his rash counterpart Blake (Chapman) who is driven solely by the need to save his brother and ultimately is a little rash. Depicted as friends though with polar opposite personalities their relationship is completely believable, grounded and in a sense is almost ‘Buddy-Cop like’ providing some laughs and warm, emotional moments which were a complete gut-punch to say the least. George MacKay carries this piece, make no mistake about that and personally has been on my radar for some time with 2020 set to be his true breakout his performance as the somewhat ‘Veteran‘ Schofield was breathtaking, he’s driven constantly and is completely unphased by the challenges he overcomes pushing on in his fight with time, slowly but surely reaching his utter limits and was a remarkable, understated outing. In another note, the supporting cast, despite coming off as just a marketing ploy did deliver some fairly good performances: Mark Strong as the fatherly Captain Smith, Collin Farrell as General Erinmore: the catalyst of the plot, Benedict Cumberbatch and of course Richard Madden who plays the elder Blake brother, in addition to a few notable faces from British TV/Film. As said earlier none really are standout but it really established this as an ”A List” piece of you will and perhaps legitimised the British filmmaking industry showing what its truly capable of.

Personal to Mendes himself it’s a magnificent tale (even if it’s loosely based in reality), possesses an amazing score and does a fantastic job creating the illusion of a single shot particularly when one considers the extent of the ‘stunts’ which occur at points throughout the narrative. Sure to be a success in the awards season I’d urge you see this if and when possible.

*Dates of release for recent films are based off UK schedule, rewatches or older titles are listed as IMDb does