One of the defining films of the year in the first half, after that still a pretty decent watch

Rating: 6/10 (22 January 2020)

"1917" is a new movie, an American/British co-production from 2019, that was directed by Oscar winner Sam Mendes and he is also one of the two writers in charge of the script here, which is definitely not usual at all because this is his very first writing credit and this really makes me say: "Why oh why Sam did you not start penning film scripts earlier?" The outcome is really good and after seeing it, I am not too surprised that it is one of the big players this awards season and really took ceremonies by storm lately the way it won Best Drama at the Golden Globes, in what was definitely considered an upset. And won the PGA Award not much later. So you can probably say that this is the film to beat at the Oscars, even if Tarantino is also still in a good spot and I must say even if I liked this film here, I like Tarantino's work still a bit more. I still think it is better than Scorsese's newest as well as the overrated Parasite. But we talked about that one on another occasion. Now let me say a bit about these almost 2 hours we have here. The number in the title is of course a reference to the year 1917, during which World War I was still taking place, so this is a war movie from beginning to end and that makes it even more surprising that I really liked it you can say because this is perhaps my least favorite genre. So if you enjoy war-themed movies you will like this one even more. Then again, seeing all the horror, it is probably more of an anti-war film than a war movie by definition, just like Apocalypse Now for example. The cast includes some big names, but at the center of it all there are two young actors in the first half, and one of them in the second half and both are no big names. So a similar approach to Nolan's (overrated) Dunkirk, but even there the famous actors (like Hardy) had more screen time. The somewhat big names here are Firth (early on) and Cumberbatch (at the end) and maybe you will recognize Andrew Scott too, who is part of it early on. Or Mark Strong. Firth I liked. He usually plays sensitive characters, but he can pull off "tough" as well. Cumberbatch I just cannot see as a gritty soldier, especially not as the one who commands a unit, come on. Then again I don't think too highly of him as an actor anyway. Scott and Strong were fine.
Now a few words, however, on the two young actors at the center here. They really deserve to be mentioned because they did a fine job. The one who is really in it from beginning to end reminded me physically of the young Andreas Lust and I cannot imagine I am the only German/Austrian who thought so. Anyway, this film is (a bit like Birdman) one shot basically from beginning to end. The action just blacks out in those moments when one character is unconscious or otherwise the camera moves away from the characters and this way they could have made it work. Of course, this was not all recorded in 2 hours and then it's a wrap. But it feels that way and that is why it is a success. It is so nicely written, I said that before, but it deserves to be said again. There are many very good moments that show how much attention to detail is included in this film. Just pay attention to how the guys are joking about trying to do a parody of a superior officer, but our hero just sits there with a really sad face expression due to what happened a little earlier. Or also this refers for example to the frame that includes how the older from the two sits in the grass next to a tree very early on and then also after the film when his big mission is over and he managed to warn the batallion. Or the mouse/rat scene with the animal falling down and running away and this way causing the explosion. Now that was really one of the most tense moments of the film, also how one character saves the other's life after that. Or not much later when we have the scene with the German pilot and his knife and he actually stabs one of the two and kills him before getting shot himself and this was such a shocking moment when you realize the kind-hearted boy from the two, who loves telling stories and who has a brother he loves very much and who has a mother/family that owns a garden etc., is actually about to die because you thought it is his mission to save his brother and everybody else in his batallion, but nope. It is the other who moves to the center of it all consequently and if you take a look at how he questions the entire mission after almost being killed and asks his friend why oh why did he pick him, there was some slight foreshadowing you can say. Oh well, I say that now. When the other kid was killed (in what was even a tragically altruist death because he (unlike the final one central character who just wanted to let him die) tried to save the enemy soldier's life and got attacked immediately afterwards), I did not think about it like that at all, so it is also a very surprising movie. Anyway, the one central character finally accepted the difficult task as we see when he pushed the other soldiers to really get the car moving out of the mud. Unfortunately, this was also the last scene of the film that really really impressed me and when he leaves this group, it gets a bit worse (or not as good anymore as everything before that I would say). Probably it is just personal taste, but the scenes with the French woman and child as well as all the German soldiers did not do that much for me sadly, even if they were technically flawless. There is no denying there. Also let me say that in these parts they nicely elaborated on the man vs. man (1v1) component and that was definitely executed convincingly, most of all the scene with one soldier who fires at our hero from far above.
It stays a tense movie for sure, it just goes one step back from great to good I would say and then there is Cumberbatch too, which is not helping. Okay he is not bad or anything, but everything/everybody else is just better. Let me put it like that. So sadly, when eventually he meets his late buddy's brother, who is alive and well, it was not as emotional for me as it could have been. Nonetheless, I want to say again that there are so many quality moments that are also informative like when we find out why the Germans killed the cows or that there are soldiers in the British army with all kinds of ethnicities and colors and that made them strong too because the Germans (obviously with their take on race) do not have that. Two more things I want to mention are the really really good soundtrack and it would be nice if that one wins the Oscar and not the one from Joker and the second thing is the high-level cinematography. Roger Deakins. Do I need to say more? Glad that he does not have to wait for his second Oscar as long as for his first. He is safe for the win really. Finally, a few words on the two young men again. I think it has been a while since I saw a better example of friendship in film with how they interact and support each other and even save each other at times. And how of course the main character's journey was not only to save his comrades, but also to fulfill his friend's last wish and with that I do not only mean the letter to the mother. But even in the face of all that, we should not forget that our hero has his own fate and family and does not only exist to fulfill the fallen's last wish(es). We see that with the photos at the very end and the wish written on them. Also much better this way really than maybe them coming up with a romance story with the French girl or so. The film did not need that. But it needed their inclusion and we see that even with all the soldiers dying, there were also so so many casualties in the simple population (away from the military branch), such as probably also the baby's mother. Tragedy wherever you look. Every corpse you see, no matter which side he fought on or if he fought on any at all, had their own story. This film is really important because it reminds us of the cruelties of war and we should try all we can to make sure these times will stay a thing of the past for as long as mankind exists. And at the same time it tells us a captivating story about those affected by it all. I can only say I liked this one much more than "Black Hawk Down" and "Saving Private Ryan", films that have been considered classics for a long time, so even if you (like myself) are not too much into war movies, you should check it out, preferrably on the big screen at your local theater. There are so many scenes that are far more effective there (like the rat/mouse scene for example) than on a laptop/television screen. Go for it. Don't miss out. Great job by Mendes and everybody else!