Movie Review: 1917 (2019)

1917 (2019) co-written and directed by Sam Mendes

Two soldiers during World War I are tasked to get a message to an advanced British unit. The unit thinks the Germans are beating a hasty retreat. Aerial reconnaissance has shown that the Germans have only strategically retreated and are ready to wipe out the advancing British force. One of the soldiers has a brother in the unit about to charge into death. He is highly motivated to cross through no-man's land to deliver the message before the assault next morning. The movie follows the two soldiers, almost in real time, as they race to save a battalion and a brother.

The movie is famous for the editing gimmick where the whole film looks like one continuous shot. The technical achievement is impressive. The set-up is reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan and the movie follows the "boots on the ground" view of the conflict. The detail is rich, with long travels through the bunkers on both sides (the Germans really did do a much better construction job) and, more importantly, the harrowing impact of World War I on the countryside and the people involved. The style does result in some drawn out scenes that I found a little slow and repetitive. The two guys do a lot of walking around craters full of water and death, maybe a bit too much. The single-edit decision makes stuff like that inevitable. Even so, I found the movie enjoyable.

Recommended.