1917

There can only be one thing to start with when talking about 1917 and it’s important to note that the ‘one-shot’ style is not something brand new (Hitchcock's Rope was the first in this style back in 1948) but, equally, this is certainly not a gimmick. Other films have even done it better (Birdman and the quite remarkable, actually-shot-in-one-take Victoria.) What Sam Mendes has given us here though is an experience, an ordeal. An exercise in human spirit and resolve and a fitting tribute to not only his father (who he dedicates the film to) but also all of the brave and never-forgotten soldiers of the First World War. You should know going in that the intention is to make this film look like one shot but keep your plot information to a minimum. Two soldiers, on a Frodo and Sam-like perilous journey, is all you need. The work that’s gone into the film is astounding. The choreography, the visual panache, the ingenuity is to be applauded. Roger Deakins is sure to be an Oscar recipient for his startling cinematography and Thomas Newman likewise for his beguiling and haunting score, working with Mendes again after all-timer American Beauty. It’s an experience to be seen in the biggest cinema screen possible but, unlike Gravity before it, which felt more like a tool for the IMAX, 1917 has more depth and more heart. It’s a true journey that drags you hurtling along from beginning to end. Even though the one-shot method, by its very nature, has to leave pauses in play, it adds up to feel more like a rollercoaster; the non-action serving to build tension for the inevitable set pieces. It borders on horror at times, such is the way the camera lingers on the shoulders of characters and our attachment to them, despite the lack of initial backstory. Be prepared for thrills, cameos and heart-stopping and tugging moments. Sure, 1917 is an exercise in spectacle. But what spectacle. 5 stars *****