1917

Actors: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong, Andrew Scott, Richard Madden, Claire Duburcq, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch  

Rating: 10 out of 10, The buzz is real and well earned. A fascinating look at a small unit action from the trenches of World War 1. Two British lads are given a mission to sneak across no-man’s land to warn another unit about an impending disaster. This is one of the movies you leave wondering how the hell they did it. The movie is basically one long shot of continuous action with only one pause during a period of unconsciousness. The camera moves around the two guys as they travel and encounter a variety of challenges and there never seems to be a break. They used two relatively unknown actors for the lead roles but some distinguished actors show up throughout the movie in very small parts, a very cool technique. The film is also an eloquent comment on the brutality of war along with glimpses of humanity, courage, pride, and nobility. It’s a movie that will stay with you for a long time and not just because you’re still trying to figure out how they did it.

MVP: MacKay as Lance Corporal William "Will" Schofield, well done lad