In 1917, it's incredible. Director Sam Mendes ' new war drama features truly extraordinary work from legendary DP Roger Deakins, including a shot so iconically Deakinsy (Deakinsian?) I practically screamed at the splendor of it— which brings you through World War I to a constant and unflinching struggle for survival. Oh, and it's all filmed to look like a single take; an artistic choice that's never as distracting or gimmicky as ever.

George MacKay (Captain Fantastic) and Dean-Charles Chapman (Game of Thrones) star as a pair of British soldiers tasked with a seemingly impossible mission to make their way through war-torn territory and warn a company of soldiers from walking into a deadly German trap. It’s a breathlessly immersive piece of cinema and precision technical craft, but beyond being a marvel of an accomplishment, it’s also emotional and satisfying, with a particularly elegant and understated turn from MacKay.

In 1917 Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, Richard Madden, Colin Firth, Andrew Scott (Sherlock), Daniel Mays (Rogue One), Adrian Scarborough (Christopher Robin), Jamie Parker (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child), Nabhaan Rizwan (Informer) and Claire Duburcq were also stars. On 25 December, the film hits select theaters before spreading nationwide on 10 January. Look at the new trailer below, or better, don't take my word for it because it offers more than I'd like to know before I watch the movie. Fair warning to you!



Here’s the official synopsis for 1917:

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (Captain Fantastic’s George MacKay) and Blake (Game of Thrones’ Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them.