1917

Let me preface this review by stating that I am not the biggest fan of war movies. Now that is not to say that I think all war movies are bad, there are some all time classic movies in the war genre, such as Saving Private Ryan and Apocalypse Now. For me personally however, I feel war films can feel a bit slower-paced at times, which is probably what I would say is the main reason why I don’t enjoy them as much as most do. So, when I was working at my local theater and putting up posters around Thanksgiving of 2019, I had just finished locking in the poster for 1917, to which I complained to my coworker that we were getting yet another war movie, as we had already gotten a decent amount of mediocre ones that year. It was then that my coworker told me that the movie was filmed in such a way that it looked like it was all one consecutive shot, which really piqued my curiosity. So, on my break I watched the trailer for it, put it on my watchlist, and three months later after walking out of my showing for 1917, I told that same coworker that I found the movie to be absolutely incredible.

It would be a disservice to the director Sam Mendes and his crew if I did not talk about the cinematography of this film. Does it really look like it was shot in one continuous take? To put it simply, yes. Now obviously it was literally shot that way, but the cuts between shots are made during dark scenes or when the viewer’s point of view is obstructed, so although you can likely tell when a cut is being made, it doesn’t feel unnatural. The use of color and lighting also greatly lifts the quality of the film’s shots, most notably during scenes with nighttime shots of villages only being lit by the bright orange fire of burning buildings.

Another side of the film I wanted to discuss was the performance of George MacKay as Schofield. Before 1917, MacKay was a relatively unknown actor, mainly appearing in smaller projects on British television shows, and to this day he still truly isn’t a household name, as he doesn’t really do a ton of projects. However, following the release of 1917, MacKay became one of the hottest actors in the world for a few months, and it’s easy to see why. His performance in 1917 showcases a true hero’s journey, as Schofield starts out as a more timid sidekick to Dean-Charles Chapman’s Blake, but, as their journey to deliver a message to another general across the battlefields whilst avoiding enemy fire gets bleaker and bleaker, Schofield realizes the true weight of the task delivered to him, becoming so fearless that he runs across an active warzone without any weapons or protection, because he knows it is what he has to do.

Like I’ve said, war movies are generally not my cup of tea, so it takes a lot for me to become really invested in one, let alone call it incredible. However, through its lead’s performance, great score, and cinematography that you truly have to see to appreciate, 1917 really amazed me, and I don’t feel like I need to go through a war to give it a definite recommendation.