Sam Mendes One-shot masterpiece takes place in the year 1917 - WW1. Get ready to be immersed...
'April 1917, the Western Front. Two British soldiers are sent to deliver an urgent message to an isolated regiment. If the message is not received in time the regiment will walk into a trap and be massacred. To get to the regiment they will need to cross through enemy territory. Time is of the essence and the journey will be fraught with danger' (IMDB).
"I hoped today might be a good day. Hope is a dangerous thing. That's it for now, then next week, Command will send a different message. Attack at dawn. There is only one way this war ends. Last man standing."
With a total of $100,000,000 being spent for an estimated budget, it made over half that amount in the opening weekend within USA. With an ever rising box office, the cumulative worldwide gross stands at $144,624,034. With a high profile cast with the likes of Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden and George Mackay, as well as the director Sam Mendes and the cinematographer Roger Deakins, this is certainly not one cinematic experience that you should miss.
The unique selling point of this film compared to other war films is the notion of the production being shot in one take. It is important to note that the film was not actually shot in one take, however, it has been edited to look like one take. The longest recorded piece of footage was 9 minutes long, which in itself is extremely impressive from Sam Mendes and Roger Deakins. One shot is needed to capture and recreate the journey that the two protagonists (Lance Corporal Blake, Lance Corporal Schofield) endure as they enter the enemy German lines. This has clearly been inspired from films such as Bushwick and Birdman, however 1917 has surpassed them in terms of visual effects and stylistic intelligence.
This film is most certainly a must-see that everyone should watch at least twice. The predicted winner of the Best Director and Best Cinematographer Oscar. It's even got a great chance for Best Picture, however I feel the Academy Awards will favour a movie industry based film such as Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Nevertheless, you must see this film. By far my favourite War movie of all time, along with Schindler's List.