1917 (2020) (Review)


With the end of World War One in sight, but still many casualties and fatalities away from concluding, 1917 was a turning point in the "war to end all wars". Writer-director Sam Mendes' latest plays out in this crucial year, telling not necessarily a true story but one very much rooted in reality, inspired by stories from his own grandfather. Nominated for ten Academy Awards including Best Picture, and winner of the Golden Globes' best drama feature, does 1917 stand up to its accolades?

When two soldiers are tasked with delivering a message to the frontline calling off an impending attack on German troops, the men risk their own lives on the perilous journey to save thousands more. Mendes directs George MacKay and Dean Charles Chapman in their biggest roles to date, with appearances from Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott and Richard Madden.

1917 combines a relatively straightforward narrative with technically ambitious storytelling to deliver a powerful and immersive war epic. Presented over two (not one, as reported) continuous long takes, 1917 positions you alongside the soldiers on the journey they undertake, crafting an intense, edge-of-your-seat experience that peaks and troughs in its intensity and suspense. Achieved through Roger Deakins' extraordinary cinematography that captures the brutality of battle in a surprisingly breathtaking way and Lee Smith's seamless editing that stitches it together, all under the tight direction of Mendes, 1917 is one of the year's finest accomplishments, consistently, technically staggering.

Particular moments stand out over the course of the 119-minute feature. The initial over-the-top sequence is pulsating with intensity, while the film's piece de resistance - a sprint across the frontline - is where the long take conceit works most effectively, a nerve-shredding realisation that really revitalises a somewhat baggier third act. It's tricky to fathom the unbelievable amount of planning that went into orchestrating and choreographing this picture, balanced with stirring emotion punctured throughout that prevents the presentation from feeling like a gimmick.

Co-written by Krysty Wilson-Cairns and Mendes, the screenplay is simple narratively, focused on the two characters undertaking the mission, their relationship with war and one another. It's not digging into anything new or particularly interesting thematically, leaving the technicality of its presentation to do the heavy lifting, but it tells a straightforward tale solidly. Some may question whether too much emphasis has been placed on the craftsmanship of the film, and there are moments where you wish for a meatier narrative to carry it more - but doing so would threaten to completely overwhelm.

George MacKay is terrific here, proving himself a real talent to anyone in any doubt; he channels an emotional intensity into the demanding role, viscerally charging the experience while grounding it when the immense technicality threatens to take over. He shows exceptional leading man potential, engaging at every turn. Dean Charles Chapman gives one of the better performances of his short career too, and while the complaints about the famous cameos reducing the level of immersion have their validity, it's not something that personally impacted my engagement in the film.

What 1917 lacks in narrative substances or groundbreaking thematic ground, it makes up for with its awe-inspiring visuals achieved throughout its technical brilliance: carefully directed, masterfully shot and seamlessly edited, while being carried by an exceedingly capable leading man, 1917 is a mighty accomplishment that doesn't so much reinvent the war genre as it interestingly frames it in a new, exciting way. Powerful, moving and overwhelming in the best sense imaginable, 1917 is a marvellous piece of filmmaking best experienced on the big screen.

Summary: A simple story meet technical brilliance in Sam Mendes' 1917, carefully directed, masterfully shot and seamlessly edited accomplishment that doesn't so much reinvent the war genre as it interestingly frames it in a new, exciting way.