‘1917’ Trailer: Sam Mendes Reminds us that War is Intense

1917, the new World War I film from director Sam Mendes, is shaping up to be something special. First of all, it’s Mendes. Secondly, it’s shot by Roger Deakins. Thirdly, the entire film is told one continuous shot. That might sound like a gimmick to some but Mendes is using it to ratchet up the tension and emphasize the ticking-clock dynamic of 1917’s story.

The story revolves around two British soldiers in a race against time to deliver a secret message to a targeted squadron of soldiers. If they don’t finish their task in time it’ll be certain death for 1,600 men, including a brother of the protagonist. Damn, high stakes indeed.

The trailer above underlines just how damn powerful this movie will be. I think this will be an edge-of-your-seat heart-pounder from beginning to end. I really like this current trend of ultra-intense war epics. Not like war movies were ever NOT intense but recent films, including Nolan’s Dunkirk, have really taken it up a notch.

We have seen far too few World War I movies over the years. While World War II and Vietnam get most of the attention, the importance and impact of WWI can’t be stressed enough. It’s been said that that war is one of the most consequential events in human history. It’s repercussions literally changed the world and led to World War II and the rest of the 20th century and beyond. While there is no such thing as a pretty war, WWI was incredibly grisly too. Grisly and — as 1917 will show — intense.

1917 opens on Christmas Day.