One-take fits all in tense WWI drama

1917 (15) ●●●●

Many movies have adopted the one- take shooting style – some properly adhering to it and others using gimmickry to create the illusion – to varying degrees of success.

Sam Mendes’ First World Warset 1917 is the biggest and most mainstream flick to bring the technique to the big screen.

The simple story – penned by Mendes and Glasgow-born

Krysty Wilson-Cairns – follows young British soldiers Lance

Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles

Chapman) and Lance Corporal

Schofield (George MacKay) as they face a treacherous mission to deliver a message deep into enemy territory.

It’s easy to accuse Mendes of using the one- take method to disguise the lack of story stretched across two hours, but that would be a false assumption. 1917 is a terrifically tense trip that, with you never quite sure what lurks around the corners of the trenches and tunnels the lead duo navigate, often feels like a horror movie.

Because Chapman and MacKay

– both very good – are relative unknowns, their fate remains uncertain right until the end which only adds to the sense of danger.

The film’s star power is supplied by its supporting cast of familiar

British faces and while most of them bring the expected gravitas, you could make a drinking game out of guessing who will be the next big name to drop in and pass on their wisdom.

Mendes and legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins plant you right in the middle of war with retina-scorching visuals.

The aftermath of one attack is genuinely unsettling and you can feel the heat coming off fiery

landscapes.

The sound design – led by

Thomas Newman’s imposing score – attacks the ears, in a good way, to ratchet up the suspense.

I’ve not always been a fan of war movies but 1917 grabbed me from the off – and never let go.

Dangerous mission Chapman and MacKay