1917 (2019)

Set during WWI in France, two young British soldiers (George MacKay, Dean Charles Chapman) are given the mission to hand deliver a message to another regiment to cancel their attack plans as it's a planned ambush by the Germans. But their journey will be a treacherous one across battle lines. Directed by Sam Mendes (SKYFALL). I'm not much of a fan of war films and I went into this one with some trepidation. It was unwarranted as this is easily one of the best war films I've ever seen. Even if it weren't a good film, it would be worth seeing for Roger Deakins' stunning cinematography alone. Shot in long takes seemingly without cuts (I didn't detect any), Deakins pulls off some amazing shots without calling attention to itself and always in service of the film. You never get the feeling he's showing off. By focusing on only two characters, Mendes is able to sharpen the film's narrative which allows the intimacy to take precedence over the "epic" style. He shows us heroism and bravery without resorting to jingoism and shows us war is hell without the pretentiousness of something like ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. Thomas Newman provides the best film score I've heard this year. Quite an achievement and highly recommended. With Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong, Richard Madden and Claire Duburcq, the only woman in the film.