1917 Movie Review


10/10

The year is 1917 and the war is raging across Northern France. Two young British soldiers are entrusted with a mission to deliver a message to save 1600 lives. They only have until sunrise and the clock is ticking. The nerve wracking, adrenaline fuelled journey through hellish landscape has begun. For these two it seems not just their lives but their verysouls are at stake, as so much depends on every step they take.

Blockbuster Director Sam Mendes (Skyfall) knows how to deliver gut punches through action and he brings an emotional roller coaster with this real time war thriller, where a few men stand tall in the impossible circumstances and find a way to triumph through sheer faith and will.

The movie is shot with one take, seemingly in real time, which gives it a bizarre dreamlike quality. This experimental filmmaking goes far beyond what Hitchcock had in mind with his movie ROPE and the final cinematic result of 1917 would have made the king of suspense proud.

They say the simpler the story the better it relates to the viewer, and the plot of 1917 is simple enough. All the complexity here is given through the imagery. The movie's name is 1917 and the visuals do give us the taste of what that year was really like. Senseless, impossible and terrifying, where the masses had been driven to insanity, but where a singular spirit still shines. "There's only one way this war will end," says the bitter colonel played by Benedict Cumberbatch. "With one last man standing." Which sums up the movies main theme, as one man's courage stands against incredible odds.

1917 leaves a long-lasting impression and takes along time to digest. This is also a film that will appeal to many tastes and ages, as with all its dramatic complexity, at its heart it is no more than an adventure movie.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

KOREAN MOVIE REVIEW: MEMOIR OF A MURDERER

Image
8/10 Byung-su is an elderly veterinarian who has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He has a caring daughter who does all she can to make his life easier, and a policemen friend whose name Byung-su forgets from time to time. He also goes to a poetry club (in order to keep his mind exercised) where a lonely widow makes advances at him. But there’s one thing that sets Byung-su apart from the other senior citizens of his little town – he is a serial killer.  When a new wave of killings begin Byung-su starts to suspect that a young man who is dating his daughter is the culprit. Trying to keep the remains of his memories together Byung-su writes extensive journals. But what if his memories are actually real? Losing his grip on reality he goes head to head with the new serial killer in order to protect the only life he cares about in the world – his daughter’s. Before Dexter came around Koreans had excelled in creating charismatic killers as protagonists of the f...
Read more

We'll End Up Together - Nous Finirons Ensemble (French Movie Review)

Image
10/10 Max has a sixtieth birthday coming up. The problem is he is broke, divorced and depressed. When a group of his best friends show up at his doorstep to help him celebrate, he reluctantly agrees to spend a few days with them, but won’t explain what’s going on in his personal life. When ones darkest moments come, will friendship conquer all? Seven years after the breakout success of the film Little White Lies (Les Petits Mouchoirs) comes the long anticipated sequel and it is worth the wait. The success of WE’LL END UP TOGETHER is not in its rather predictable plot, but the chemistry on screen, the characters that we recognise ourselves and our friends in, and the amazing warm atmosphere that makes one believe there’s no problem a good dinner with friends won’t sort out.  Written and directed by much loved French actor and director  Guillaume Canet this movie feels like a welcome return home to those who have seen the original and will also welcome new viewership - t...
Read more

MSFF: DEATH IN BUENOS AIRES (MUERTE EN BUENOS AIRES)

Image
3 1/2 /5 It's year 1980 and we are in Buenos Aires. The wealthy gay man is murdered  and inspector Chaves is on the case. In order to find the culprit he has to plunge into the world of gay nightclubs, drugs and sex. But what is it with the young and handsome officer Gomes, who was the first on the crime scene, and seems to place himself with ease as a mole into a gay community? Is he trying to catch the killer? Or hiding something? As suspicions arise, Chaves is haunted by the feelings he does not understand. Will the fatal attraction to a younger man help him to solve the case, or be his undoing? First time director Natalie Meta is "spot on" on the upbeat atmosphere of the 80s without too much expense. She cleverly uses the pop tunes, over-the-top clothes and many other ingredients to recreate the time. The murder mystery is secondary, and the movie is focused on the relationship between the two men, full of innuendoes and mistrust. The very simple cinema...
Read more