1917

Starring: Dean-Charles Chapman, George McKay, Daniel Mays, Colin Firth, Pip Carter, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, War
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: During World War I, two soldiers (Dean-Charles Chapman, George McKay) are asked to travel across enemy lines to warn soldiers of an impending trap.

Review:

Tim: I was so excited to see Sam Mendes' 1917. It's undoubtedly the work of an expert craftsman and one of the very best movies of 2019. It's technically brilliant, thoroughly engaging, and memorable. It's really a great film.

Whereas Hollywood has long obsessed with World War II, the Great War gets far fewer films made about it. For that reason, this movie felt somewhat novel, even though the war itself is over 100 years old. Here, we got to see the harsh realities of trench warfare, of the early days of aerial combat, and the major limitations of wartime communication. It's all on display here- the film does a fantastic job of bringing this war to life, in ways I've never seen done before.

Now, you have to talk about the technical mastery of Mendes' film. He films it to look like the movie takes place in one continuous shot. This is obviously not the case, but it was delightful to see these constantly long takes and those moments where you see how Mendes ended the scene and switched to another. This is where the brilliance of the film really shines through. The extended length of the scenes required an enormous amount of planning and practice. It gives the film this wonderful feeling of authenticity. Life doesn't end scenes, so this film reflects that continuous moving of life. It really does put you in the middle of the action and immerses you in a way most movies don't. I give Mendes and the filmmakers an immense amount of credit- this was so technically challenging, it's wonderful to see the end result of this impeccably crafted movie.

As I've said, this is undoubtedly what makes the movie great. You see the journey of these characters without interruption- it's one long scene and you feel the weight of that as the movie progresses. You almost wish for a break, but like the characters, you have to just keep moving forward. It's brilliant and it's the most attractive aspect of the film. That being said, it does create some drawbacks. The way the story was filmed limits the cast, especially the supporting characters. They show up for a few brief moments and then the movie moves on. The film has a tremendous cast, but most of them feel limited, relegated to the sidelines. To some extent, that same thing happens with the main characters. Sure, we get a lot more time with them and character development occurs, but the whole film is geared towards action, to constantly moving forward. There's not enough quiet moments to build the kind of connections we needed with the characters. We don't necessarily love them at the end- we've endured something with them and feel some camaraderie there, but it's not as powerful as in the best movies. 1917 had to make trade-offs somewhere and this is where it was. What that means is that the movie is a great technical movie, but the character side is a bit weaker than desired. That doesn't mean this isn't a great movie, but this is the main reason why the film wasn't higher ranked in 2019 (although to be fair, 3rd best is pretty darn good).

As far as the cast, you can only marvel at what George MacKay did here. I'd seen him in small roles of which I'd never taken notice of his performance. It's remarkable what he is called upon to do here. The role required a series of extremely long takes, of showing myriad emotions. It was a physical role as well and he rises to the occasion. He was great in the role. That being said, it's not surprising that he wasn't nominated for an acting award- this is a technical movie and MacKay's role was critical, but it didn't allow him to give a truly great performance. I'm not even sure he has that level of talent. I don't mean to be harsh there, but I want to clarify that while he was perfect for this role, I can't say I always loved his performance.

Dean-Charles Chapman was solid, too. I enjoyed his performance and while he seemed familiar, it was only after after the movie ended that I learned he'd played Tommen on Game of Thrones. It was good to see him grown up and delivering an enjoyable performance. The supporting cast were all great, but they just don't get enough time. It was wonderful to see Colin Firth as really the first really famous actor to show up. Firth is good, but just so limited. You think, "Wow, Colin Firth is in this movie!" and then the characters move on and we never see him again. That pattern would continue to repeat. I enjoyed seeing Andrew Scott (his work on Sherlock was memorable) and he's entertaining in his small role here. Mark Strong was excellent, but he spends so much of his limited time far away from the camera, I continually asked myself, "Is that Mark Strong? I'm almost certain, but not entirely..." He was good, I just wish they had time for a closeup. Benedict Cumberbatch was enjoyable and I wish we got much more time with him. He's such a good actor, I would have enjoyed the movie more had Cumberbatch gotten more to do. His presence is welcome, it's just too short. The last big one is Richard Madden, who is terrific in a too-short role at the end. I loved Madden in Game of Thrones and it was excellent to see him here. He makes a lasting impression with his wonderful performance. As a whole, I marveled at the cast, especially the supporting actors, but wish we had more time with each of them.

I've said this plenty, but 1917 is a technically brilliant movie. It won 3 Academy Awards. Best Cinematography is a no-brainer. Roger Deakins is one of the all-time greats and his work here was flawless. Every scene is gorgeous and draws you into the story. The cinematography really helps set this movie apart. Best Visual Effects is another obvious win. There's so many moments where the visual effects cause you to lean in, to force your eyes to stay open so you don't miss a second. Sound Mixing rounded out the wins and again, not a surprise. I'm a little surprised it didn't win more technical awards and Sam Mendes could have won for Directing as well.

All in all, 1917 is a major achievement and easily one of the best movies of 2019. I really enjoyed watching this riveting film. It further cements Mendes as an exceptional director and it's a movie that will stay important for years to come.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Road to Perdition, Jarhead, Saving Private Ryan