A visually masterful treat and another great outing for Sam Mendes

Rating: 7/10 (9 February 2020)

Set throughout the course of 24 hours during April 1917, two young soldiers in World War I (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a mission by their general to travel from their bunker to one deep into enemy territory to warn a regiment of the British army to call off their attack at the break of dawn. There's strong intel that is a trap and in order to save the lives of 1600 men, one of which is one of the protagonists brothers, they need to reach the bunker in time. Sam Mendes is one of today's greatest directors; absolute classics like American Beauty and Road To Perdition and two great Bond films under his belt, make anything his name is attached to worth a watch. It's beautifully dedicated to Lance Corporal Arthur Mendes as mentioned in the credits which give it a moving personal touch. Visually it is incredible and works on the basis of feeling like one continuous shot. I've always loved this idea since I was young and adored films that incorporate this even just for certain scenes such as Alfonso Cuaron's Children Of Men or that great episode of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton's Psychoville. So this really pleased me from a cinephile perspective! On a technical level, it is a massively impressive achievement and its first hour in particular is non stop intensity, it's truly captivating. I'm sad to admit though that there are a couple of scenes in the last half that I did feel meandered and took me out of the experience a fair bit. There are moments in there designed as a breather from the drama which I felt would be okay if I was more engaged on an emotional level. The performances are absolutely spectacular still, it's just that it's a film written more with the visual scope and atmosphere in mind than necessarily character. Nevertheless, definately worth a watch on the biggest screen you can find!