+ Still showing 1917

★★★★

Dir: Sam Mendes. Starring: George MacKay, Andrew Scott.

Cert: 15A 119min

A prime contender for Oscar glory next month, following its triumph at the Golden Globes, Sam Mendes’s powerful WWI drama was influenced by the trench memories of his grandfather. It was also clearly influenced by Kubrick’s anti-war masterpiece, Paths of Glory (1957). Mendes and ace director of photography, Roger Deakins, shot the film as if in real time and in one, unbroken take, with the cameras following closely as British soldiers, played by MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, set out on a dangerous mission to warn a British company about the folly of an upcoming attack. 1917 is a visceral triumph for Mendes and Deakins alike.