1917 - War, Valor, No Man's Land, and More

1917, directed by Sam Mendes, has everything I want from a film. Characters I can relate to or at least care about. A motive or objective that I can understand. It needs to have believability or at least be competent enough that it makes suspension of disbelief easy. Good storytelling.

1917, is about two soldiers who are sent on foot to relay orders to colonel Mackenzie to stop an attack about to be carried about by 1,600 British soldiers against a seemingly retreating German Army. Early on in the film, we learn that the German’s aren’t capitulating in the trenches in which they were dug in, rather they are baiting the British into a trap.
The initial soldier chosen, Lance Corporal Thomas Blake, played by Dean-Charles Chapman, was specifically chosen because he is good with maps therefore he can be trusted to navigate through no man’s land, and his brother is part of the 1,600 multi-wave British attack that is about to charge straight into a one sided slaughter.
Lance Corporal Thomas Blake is chosen in the opening scene of the movie and is told to pick a man to go with him; he picks Lance Corporal William Schofield who is played by George MacKay.
Along the way, they encounter several instances of hardship and a little bit of tragedy.
Over the course of the first quarter to a half of the film via the events of the film, we learn quite a bit about the two main characters all the while not learning everything about them. Lance Corporal Blake and Lance Corporal Schofield have developed a bit of camaraderie. This of course isn’t unusual to see in a war film; it’s always implied there is a brotherhood between comrades considering not only the amount of time they spend together, but the very nature of what they go through with each other. However, we get a little glimpse into another reality; just because you work together doesn’t mean you like each other or that you won’t come into conflict with each other.
But enough of that digression.
Blake is a proud soldier who takes pride in his military achievements. A medal and ribbon means a lot to him. Schofield reveals that he doesn’t have his medal anymore. Blake assumes he lost it.
While at first glance, this seems as if it is just dialogue to pass the time and maybe develop characters, and it accomplishes that very well, it eventually pays off in a satisfying way.
We even get a bit of dialogue from Lieutenant Leslie played by Andrew Scott who cogitates that the German’s are baiting the British into a trap and who gives credence to those who feel the way that Schofield does about the conflict.
“We fought and died over every inch of this fucking place. Now they suddenly give us miles? It’s a trap. But chin up. There’s a medal in it, for sure. Nothing like a scrap of ribbon to cheer up a widow.”
After navigating through No Man’s Land they arrive at the German’s abandoned trenches. They go through a sleeping quarters and quasi-bunker built by the German’s where Schofield sees a photograph of a family left behind on one of the bunks. This is important.
After nearly being blown to bits by a sprung trip wire and being trapped under the rubble, Schofield asks Blake why he had to choose him. He says this while ambiguously looking into a blue container that he carries. Even though Schofield is unhappy with the predicament he’s in, we learn very quickly that he’s not a coward. Schofield doesn’t capitulate to his unhappiness and honors his orders and agrees to keep helping his friend when offered the chance to go back.

1917 is not only one of the best war films, but one of the best films I have ever seen. It is spectacular in concept, in execution, and visually. It analyzes many nuances of war subtly through a very simple and tense story.
This film deserves more praise than it got, because it didn’t get enough.
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