An ambitious single-take endeavour demonstrating captivating technical prowess.

Rating: Null/10 (8 March 2020)

While at risk of being regressive in the wake of Christoper Nolan's excellent Dunkirk, Sam Mendes' 1917 establishes a unique identity with a novel storytelling conceit of its own.
An ambitious single-take endeavour, 1917 demonstrates captivating technical prowess as Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins (The Shawshank Redemption, Skyfall) negotiate nearly two hours of runtime through a variety of filming locations, set pieces and lighting effects that will surely make for the most interesting 'Making Of' featurette to grace home media . The result is a film with excellent pacing in its relentless forward momentum, where any downtime only serves to add to the growing tension as the soldiers' time to deliver their message runs out. Most notably, the single-take feels genuinely organic and never compromises the film's ability to deliver on action, and in combination with a shocking first-act twist, 1917 boldly raises the stakes to ensure it stands alongside its contemporaries.
George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman star as a charismatic lead duo whose barely familiar profiles compliment the sense of realism that Dunkirk arguably sacrificed in casting an idealistic Harry Styles. While Chapman gives lends the film an appropriate degree of levity, MacKay's stoic yet fragile turn earns the film's right to its emotionally stirring conclusion.
Demanding to be seen on as big a screen as possible, 1917 is highly-efficient film-making at its best, delivering cinematic spectacle unrivalled by any summer tentpole with twice the budget and half of its ambition.