1917 (2019) is a stunningly immersive World War I drama starring George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman as Lance Corporals Will Schofield and Tom Blake, young British soldiers situated along the Western Front in northern France. Following the German army’s retreat to the Hindenburg Line, Schofield and Blake are ordered to cross into enemy territory and deliver an urgent message to the 2nd Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment—warning them to call off a planned attack that will almost certainly end in catastrophe.

With Blake’s older brother among the men in danger, the assignment assumes personal significance as the two soldiers leave the British trenches and venture into the perilous uncertainty of no man’s land. The storyline follows their journey in real time, detailing their attempts to reach the battalion before the attack begins, as the dangers of the mission steadily intensify. Their mission becomes an increasingly arduous test of endurance and devotion to a full battalion entirely unaware of the fate awaiting them. Along the way, the film captures the abject horrors of armed conflict while remaining firmly centered on two soldiers racing to complete a task of mounting urgency.

Directed by Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall), 1917 is an audacious and emotionally resonant depiction of duty amid the horrors of war. Mendes employs the illusion of one continuous shot to envelop the viewer in the immediacy of the journey, with Roger Deakins’ cinematography lending the film a stark visual grandeur. MacKay and Chapman are excellent in demanding roles requiring fear, resolve and desperation in varying measure—their performances grounding the film’s considerable technical achievements in a struggle for survival. A gripping World War I odyssey, 1917 serves as a powerful illustration of perseverance and courage under extraordinary circumstances.

Watch the trailer: