Opened: December 25, 2019

Directed by: Sam Mendes

Starring: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Mays, Adrian Scarborough, Jamie Parker, Michael Jibson, Richard McCabe, Chris Walley, Nabhaan Rizwan, Michael Cornelius & Anson Boon

With visionary direction by Sam Mendes, 1917 is easily one of the best war films around.

In World War I, two British soldiers – Will (George MacKay) and Tom (Dean Charles-Chapman) – are ordered to deliver a message to call off an attack happening the next morning that will lead to certain defeat of 1,600 men.

A majority of this film plays out in real time with incredibly precise editing that makes it look like the film is largely a continuous shot. Except for one area where Will blacks out, the audience is engaged in action as it occurs.

MacKay and Chapman give incredible performances with the former carrying a majority of the movie on his own. If they hadn’t created sympathetic characters, there wouldn’t be reason to care about the outcome.

Final say: A different but brilliant filming style. ★★★★★