This Review Reveals Minor Details About the Plot.
Do or Die Dispatch
Plot Overview
April 6, 1917. Northern France. Lance
Corporal Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) of the British 8th army Battalion
is summoned by General Erinmore (Colin Firth,) and he's to bring
with him a second of his choice. Not aware of any danger he simply selects
his buddy Corp. Schofield (George
MacKay) to accompany him on what he assumes will be a milk run. Hah!
Aerial reconnaissance has revealed the Germans
are trying to sucker the distant Devons into a trap. The Boche have
built up massive fortifications in the woods where they retreated
luring the Brits into a bloody ambush if they execute their planned
attack tomorrow. The phone lines being cut, Blake is tasked to cross
a hot zone and hand deliver orders to Colonel MacKenzie calling off
his attack. He was chosen for his map reading skills. His brother
being in the targeted battalion adds to his motivation. From there
it's just a long, dangerous slog.
Ideology
“1917” tracks nicely with, (Prov. 30:18-19) “There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.” The bulk of the movie is concerned with a British messenger or two snaking his way across a bleak no-man's land, slipping through cracks in the defense, slithering across obstacles, striking back at his opponents. Like Solomon's snake on a rock, it's a progress hard to track and with an uncertain outcome.
Added to the tension is a dogfight up in the air, like a soaring eagle hard to follow. The corporals don't know who's winning or the outcome.
“The way of a ship in the midst of the sea” corresponds to a messenger being engulfed by the river, unable to orient himself underwater or to choose his own direction. That compounds the uncertainty of ever delivering the message.
The money shot of uncertainties, of course, is “the way of a man with a maid.” The other three maneuverings were all mechanical in scope; this one involves nuance of emotion. Corp. Schofield takes shelter in a gutted room clandestinely occupied by a Frenchwoman (Claire Duburcq) and an orphaned baby. She doesn't trust him at first until she realizes he's not a German. The German in another room is depicted as a drunk, and who knows what indignities she'd have suffered at his hands? Schofield is a benefactor providing her and the kid with meat and milk. The point, of course, is he was still an unknown leaving her perplexed and disappointed when he takes off suddenly, not even waiting for dark when it was safe from the Germans. He had time constraints and a higher calling.
That helps us put into perspective other similar affairs and avoid being judgmental. A litmus test for a gentleman caller, say, should not be whether he's left his girl perplexed and disappointed at his higher calling—it's hard to figure those things out—but whether, say, he paid for dinner and the movie on their dates. For example in the movie “Going My Way” (1945) a musically talented Charles ‘Chuck’ O'Malley (Bing Crosby) had to choose between a music career and the priesthood. He also decided to forgo his own romantic opportunity for the sake of his higher calling, leaving his girl disappointed. Now we see Father O'Malley graciously paying for the broken glass caused by a baseball the kids he was playing with hit through a window. In the 2019 movie, “Midsommar,” a young man named Christian forgets his needy girlfriend Dani's birthday and has a roving eye on their vacation. She'll eventually be perplexed about his higher calling in a Viking sacrifice. Which one of the two men is a true champion of women and which one a false? It's really hard to tell from the perplexity and disappointment of the women contemplating their man's higher calling. The simple gestures, though, offer a surer indicator. See other of my reviews illustrating m-f relations hard to scope out.
Production Values
“” (2019) was written and directed by Sam Mendes. His co-writer was Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It stars George McKay, Dean Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, and Benedict Cumberbatch. The acting was rather decent considering this was primarily an action flick.
MPAA rated it R for violence, some disturbing images, and language. It was filmed on Salisbury Plains, Wiltshire, England in one continuous take. Hitchcock, the genius, did the same in “Rope,” but it's a feat seldom imitated on account of its technical difficulty. It was done in the movie, “Silent House” where there wasn't any point to it. Here it stretched out the tension. Very clever. Kudos to cinematographer Roger Deakins. The sets, the costumes, the smooth camera work, and the punctiliously choreographed action scenes were all first rate. This celluloid warfare was more in the realism camp than Hollywood glamorized.
Review Conclusion w/ Christian Recommendation
There wasn't a whole lot of character development, just the simmering action. If your preferences lean that way, then you'll likely enjoy this one.
Movie Ratings
Action factor: Decent action scenes. Suitability For Children: Not Suitable for Children of Any Age. Special effects: Well done special effects. Video Occasion: Fit For a Friday Evening. Suspense: Keeps you on the edge of your seat. Overall movie rating: Four stars out of five.
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