A truly stunning tale of bravery above and beyond....

Rating: 8/10 (18 January 2020)

I doesn't feel right reviewing a film of this stature when I watched it sitting in the comfort of an IMAX with a glass of Malbec in one hand and someone else's hand in my other... This depiction of the true horror of WWI really does get to the heart of the sacrifices made by ordinary, afraid, young men and lay them bare. I didn't find it particularly gory, or even scary for that matter, but Sam Mendes' direction, particularly of a wonderful George MacKay, but also of Dean-Charles Chapman is tender, taut and emotionally charged in a way that I haven't seen "Saving Private Ryan". The more established members of the cast - Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch and Andrew Scott feature sparingly, and do add value - but the film belongs undoubtedly to the two youngsters sent on an almost impossible mission across enemy lines to warn their comrades (one, being MacKay's brother) and save hundreds of lives. Thomas Newman's sensitive scoring and some magnificent cinematography from Roger Deakins make this an enormously engaging telling of courage, determination and loyalty. I'd sort of assumed "the Joker" was unstoppable as the best film at the Oscars this year; I certainly don't think that now! It does need a big screen to do it justice; and is very much worth seeing.