Stars: 5/5
Every so often, a film comes around that is so magical, so breathtaking, and so well crafted that it reminds me of why I love watching movies, studying movies and making movies. Movies that are the very reason why I love movies in the first place.
Films like “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Baby Driver,” “La La Land” and “Birdman” offer up something that you very rarely see on the big screen, and the magic of filmmaking shines through.
With “1917,” director Sam Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins have crafted a film that defines the very reason why I love going to the movies.
It is breathtakingly visceral, expertly put together, heartbreakingly emotional and an incredible achievement in filmmaking that is the single best film I have seen in 2019 and will stand the test of time as a truly spectacular war drama.
The plot, inspired by war stories told to Mendes by his grandfather, WW1 veteran Alfred Mendes, follows two young Lance Corporals, Blake (“Game of Thrones” alum Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George MacKay), who are assigned to a mission to deliver a message to a different company deep behind enemy lines, calling off an attack that could lead 1,600 men, Blake’s brother among them, to their certain death.
What follows is a 2-hour-long exercise in building tension, as Blake and Schofield sneak through no man’s land, abandoned houses and destroyed cities, all followed by a camera that never seems to cut. The entire film is edited together to make it look as though it were all one shot (similar to the previously mentioned “Birdman”).
Impressive in its own right, the no-cuts approach to this film results in a filmmaking experience more immersive than anything else I’ve experienced this year. You aren’t just watching the events unfold, you’re living through them with these two men. Each explosion, gun shot, and artillery shell is so thoroughly startling, and each moment of fear is genuine and horrifying.
The camera work and movement is impressive, but that wasn’t enough for Roger Deakins. The greatest cinematic artist of our time makes each shot burst with beauty and meaning, and the small moments in which the characters simply reflect on the events of what is happening are often the most beautiful and profound.
Every detail of this film lends to the immersion of the story. Thousands of extras, sets and lighting cues were implemented to make everything seem seamless in its execution, to the point where you feel like you are not watching a movie anymore. Costumes and makeup for the soldiers and their injuries were almost too painfully real to watch, and each explosion and practical effect used is felt in the very bones of this film and the viewers watching it.
Performances are also fantastic across the board. The two leads won’t be nominated for any major awards, but the quietly raw and powerful emotions displayed are some of the most naturalistic performances I’ve seen all year.
I could sing praises about this movie all day long, but to summarize my thoughts, I point out one scene, one of the more popular ones shown during the marketing. Lance Corporal Schofield, in a desperate attempt to reach safety, runs along the outer wall of a trench, as British soldiers run into battle around him, explosions ringing every few seconds and destroying the ground at Schofield’s feet.
It is enthralling cinema at its finest, and chills on my arms and true joy in my heart confirmed that I was watching a cinematic masterpiece.
“1917” is so much more than your typical war film. It is the very reason that I go to the movies: a genius display of true artistic creativity, a brilliant example of camera work done right, a testament to the perseverance and hope of the human spirit and one of the finest films of the year. See it on as big of a screen as you can, because “1917” is every bit of deserving for money and eyes as a film can possibly be.
