This film was one that has to be seen on the big screen. The biggest reason, of course, is the breathtaking cinematography. Roger Deacon does it again with this film, making it appear as if it is all one shot and one take.
Not only is the cinematography impeccable, but the acting is solid as well. Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay, two fresh faces in Hollywood, deliver very impressive acts for it being one of their first large-scale production debuts.
If you are there for straight up war action, have patience. The movie does not focus on the violence of war, but it harnesses it to give us the high stakes of the journey we are taken with the two main characters.
Two young scouts in World War 1 are sent to the other side of the Western Front in the midst of hostility and danger, to deliver a message to their commander to stand down from their pending attack, as it is a trap.
The entire movie, you follow these young men, seeing the destruction and filth of what has transpired in war and it can be a lot to take in for some people. One of the young soldiers you follow has extra added motivation to deliver the message and it really makes one care for him and his ambitions.
The score was wonderful, yet not overbearing. Very downloadable if you are into listening to scores every once in a while, as I am.
As far as the negatives, there were times I got a little bored. It does suffer from not being edited into cuts by making scenes feeling too long. Although the movie is meant to feel like one long take, which made it unique, it did backlash at times.
It was a minor issue I had, but overall this film belongs in the conversation with having some of the best cinematography this year (if it is considered a 2020 film).
Final Verdict? A definite recommendation, but don’t go in expecting to big battle sequences and Hollywood gunfights. This film is as realistic as it gets, and that is worth appreciating and checking it out. If you are like me, you might start to get a little tired after an hour, but trust me, it is all worth it in the end.
A 9/10 seems just about right for me. Not quite a perfect movie, but its as close as you can get to it.
