1917

Tick Tock, Tick Tock
Oscar nominations come
after five o'clock.

That's right. The 92nd Oscar Nominations are set for tomorrow. It's fitting, perhaps, that the last major film (I think) on my to-see list centers on a looming deadline. It's the war movie 1917 directed and co-written by Sam Mendes.

April 6th, 1917. British soldiers Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are called before General Erinmore (Colin Firth) for an urgent mission. The 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, which includes Blake's brother Lt. Joseph, has seemingly routed the German Army to the Hindenburg Line. The Devons plan to rout the Germans some more in a daybreak attack. Unfortunately, the Devons are walking into a trap. Our heroes have to deliver the orders to call off the attack.

The rest of the movie follows our heroes as they travel the no man's land. Literally follow, for much like Birdman, the film is stitched together to appear as mostly one take. The mission pushes our heroes, one of whom bites it half-way through, to their limits. Will they get there on time?

Mendes and his co-writer, Krysty Wilson-Cairns, barely waste precious seconds. The film opens with our heroes woken up from a nap and going to get their mission. The film shows their encounters with such perils as a booby trapped bunker, barbed wire, a shellshocked pilot, a sniper, a broken bridge and skeptical soldiers. We see, as they see, how unpleasant war gets. We also get some cameos along the way. A few notables are Mark Strong as Captain Smith and Benedict Cumberbatch as the Devons's Colonel Mackenzie.

There are plenty of technical stars on the frontlines. Chief among them are production designer Dennis Gassner, editor Lee Smith and cinematographer Roger Deakins. The film's vision of war-torn France is perfectly nightmarish; it's best exemplified by its rendition of Ecoust-Saint-Mein at night. A city in darkness, momentarily lit by ominous light from nearby fires. An alluring, yet unsettling sight. The only obvious cut is when the film skips from late afternoon to way early morning. All the other cuts are practically invisible.

Our heroes, Schofield and Blake, are great characters. Blake is a nice guy, while Schofield is determined to impossible degrees. The camera barely lets them out of our sights. They're as present as Thomas Newman's melancholically score. It barely reprieves us of whatever sights and perils they encounter. We're invested in their mission and are relieved when it's over.

This year's speculations are almost over. The Oscar nominations are around nine hours from now. You will hear a lot about 1917 starting tomorrow. Its plot maybe thin and somewhat familiar, but it's rarely, if ever, boring. Its compelling leads and stunning imagery easily guides its audience through 119 minutes. See it on the biggest screen possible. See it soon. Its time in theaters won't last forever.