Very Good Soldier Story

Rating: 9/10 (25 March 2020)

April, 1917 in France, British Lance Corporals Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield (George Mackey) are ordered by the General to go to an isolated regiment to order them to stop their invasion because it is a trap as the Germans are lying in wait for them. Telephone lines have been cut so soldiers need to be sent. Corporal Blake has more of an incentive to make the trip because his brother Joseph is in that regiment of 1600.
This is a very long movie, but the pacing is on target and there is one big surprise along the way and that was a shocker for me.
For the most part we see Blake and Schofield cross into tree-less enemy territory littered with dead horses, dead bodies, mud, rats, broken tanks and guns, barbed wire and barricades; and they also had to keep watch for German strafing planes. There were many, many trenches and I felt I was going thru them with Blake and Schofield. They also entered abandoned German trenches that were booby trapped
The camera work was seamless watching Blake and Schofield go thru what seemed like miles of trenches loaded with sand bags, and heavy planks. The photography and cinematography were spot on. Suspense and tension crept in from time to time. The music was haunting at times.
Notables: Mark Strong as Capt Smith who told Schofield to have witnesses when he tells Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch) to stop the invasion because he likes to fight; Richard Madden as Lt Joseph Blake; Colin Firth as General Erinmore who from his desk wished Blake and Schofield good luck on their mission. The entire cast of mostly no-name professionals performed exceedingly well.
This is a movie that finally gave overlong tribute to WW1soldiers. This is a soldier story and one not mixed in with politics. (9/10)
Violence: Yes. Hey, this is war.
Sex: No.
Nudity: No.
Humor: No.
Language: Yes, but very brief.
Rating: A