1917 – Movie Review

by Donald Hanson • April 18, 2020 • Movie Reviews • Comments (0) • 730

Information on how to see ‘1917’ can be found at the end of this review.

1917 is a war epic set during World War I. It follows 2 soldiers on a mission to deliver a message. The movie is shot to give the impression of being done all in one continuous shot, like Birdman and Silent House, but like those other 2 films, it is not. The movie is still extremely impressive since there are extremely long uncut stretches for real.

Going into this film, I did not know exactly what to expect. Once I realized that it was an uncut shot, I wondered where they were going to go with it. The premise is very simple and straight forward of delivering the message, but the journey allows a great exploration of many aspects of war situations as the characters travel from one place to another.

Photo : Hollywood Reporter. Colin Firth as General Erinmore in “1917”

The most impressive aspect of 1917 beyond the cinematography, the acting and the staging of a semi continuous shot, is the feeling of what it is like to be a soldier and what a person’s survival instinct will lead them to do automatically. For instance, when encountering an enemy soldier, you only have 2 options. One is to run and get away from them before they kill you. The other is to kill them first. It’s pretty much the fight or flight response, but magnified as a result of the belief that the enemy will not hesitate to kill you and that you are in immediate mortal danger.

This film is part storytelling and part an experience from the perspective of a soldier where you begin to think the way they do in order to preserve their lives. This movie is an accomplishment and gives the viewer insight and understanding of what soldiers go through like few other films ever have.

Since all of the movie theaters are closed due to the coronavirus, here is a link to AMC’s On demand where the movie can be viewed or purchased.