Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
Rated R for violence, some disturbing images, and language
“1917” is a war drama, directed by Sam Mendes, in which two British soldiers (played by Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay) have to deliver a message to stop an upcoming battle. Set in the first World War, the two men will travel through trenches and hell to deliver this message in order to save the lives of others, including of the men’s own brother.
“1917” is not your typical war film, as it has two features that make it stand out from the crowd. First, it is a film about the first World War, a war that is not explored too often in film. Second, it is filmed to be like a long take, almost like how “Birdman” did six years ago. The cinematography is great and its all due to the amazing Roger Deakins. The single take was impressive and I was certainly in awe of it. But I didn’t like it as much as I thought I was going to be. This is not to dismiss the cinematography or the work of Sam Mendes, but I found myself looking where the edits were. The reason why for this is because “Birdman” did this years ago and so have films before that. Did I enjoy the single take shot? Yes, it was fascinating to watch, but I did not enjoy it as much as I hoped.
In addition to the excellent camera work, Sam Mendes proves why he is such a great director. He realistically shows the horrors of war and what these young men had to put with 100 years ago. But Mendes’ work is accompanied by Thomas Newman’s score, a frequent collaborator of Mendes. It’s not a controversial thing to say that Newman always delivers a strong score and “1917” is no exception. Newman as always finds the right notes to put on the screen and does so effectively.
Finally, we cannot forget the two actors who are the main stars of the film. Both Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay give strong and emotional performances as two men who are just trying to deliver orders, all while staying alive. When the men were afraid, we were afraid, when they let their guard down, we also did the same. Mendes has mentioned that he wanted unknowns for his film, but we can only hope that “1917” is a start of something tremendous for the two actors. In additon to Chapman and MacKay, we have familiar names such as Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Andrew Scott. The big names in the film are almost cameo roles and are only on screen for a few minutes. They do a great job for the minutes they are on screen, but there is not much of note for those actors.
Overall, “1917” is a realistic war film that will certainly impress the audience. I personally wasn’t the biggest fan of the single take but I certainly have much respect for the film for going there and having beautiful shots when they are present on screen. The end credits of the film show that “1917” is a dedication to his grandfather, who served in the war. I cannot think of a better dedication to the men of the Great War than “1917”, a film that shows the horrors of war.
3.5/4
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