1917

Release Date: Malaysia, 16 Jan 2020

Genre: War

Running Length: 1:50

Cast: George MacKay, Dean-Charles Chapman

Director: Sam Mendes

Screenplay: Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns

The story is simple. The date is April 6, 1917, World War I. 

A British battalion is about to walk into a trap set by the Germans that will result to a potential 1,600 casualties. As the phone lines are cut, two young British soldiers; Blake (Chapman) and Schofield (MacKay), are tasked to cross through No-Man's Land and enemy territory by foot to deliver this message to this battalion in order to prevent these soldiers from their imminent death. As the caption of the poster says: Time is the enemy. 

The style with which Mendes and award winning cinematographer Roger Deakins have chosen to film 1917 is to employ a seemingly unbroken single-take from the start of the movie right to the very end. Whether it's a valiant or vain approach, I'll leave it to your opinion.  

With this approach, it pulls the viewers into the thick of the action when our two young soldiers travel from point A to point B. Viewers will feel as though they "are there" in real time, which lends a real sense of tension and dread. 

Speaking of action, there isn't many battle scenes but what this film does really well is capturing the aftermath of trench warfare. We see the remains of human bodies (many of them in pieces and are bloated) and animals lying in the mud, and are eaten by rats.

From a technical perspective, the score is crucial in certain scenes to heighten the danger, but thankfully, it doesn't dominate. A standing ovation for the set designers as the set pieces are so meticulously period-accurate.

In conclusion, this movie feels almost like Dunkirk. Just like the Christopher Nolan's movie, it's technically superior. But what 1917 lacked is the emotional payout that Dunkirk delivered in the final scene. I can't help but to view this film as a theme park ride through a trench warfare, because it does feel that way. 

RATING: 8/10

DUNKIRK (2017)

Genre: War / Thriller
Running Length: 1:46
Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, Harry Styles, Cillian Murphy, Kenneth Branagh
Director: Christopher Nolan
Screenplay: Christopher Nolan

What I learned from this movie is that regardless of our social position in our society, whether you're lame or able, we can still serve others. Because not only helping others makes us feel good, it gives us purpose.  

War movies like Saving Private Ryan and the recent Hacksaw Ridge are about characters in a war situation. DUNKIRK is all about the war situation. There are no dramatic Braveheart "Freeeeeedom!!!" moments, no inspiring war cry speeches, no small talk during downtime introducing themselves and their loved ones waiting for them at home. None of those.

The moment the first frame kicks in, the action starts. And the tension builds and builds and builds right until the satisfying payoff at the end. By the time the credits roll, I was just staring at the screen in stunned silence, breathless.

This movie is about the true story of the evacuation of more than 300,000 soldiers (allied soldiers from Britain, France and Belgium) at Dunkirk, France back to England. During this evacuation at the beach front (which happened between May 26, 1940 to Jun 4, 1940) they were attacked by the German forces.

The narrative sounds simple but the storytelling is not. Just like most of Nolan's films, this film unfolds itself in a non-linear-cross cutting-three perspectives manner. To me, it wasn't distracting as it actually kept me more focused.

Dunkirk is a cinematic event and it demands to be watched on the biggest screen available in your city (I watched it on IMAX). If you can't find one, then at least watch it in a cinema with the bestest sound available. I wouldn't be surprised if it wins an Oscar in the Best Sound categories next year. And coupled with Hans Zimmer pulsating tick-tock score, it really amped-up the intensity.

The performances in this movie are very good but Tom Hardy wouldn't be winning any awards (eventhough he's very good here with his eyes and eyebrows, just like how he used them effectively in The Dark Knight Rises and Mad Max: Fury Road). Like I mentioned earlier, Dunkirk is not about any specific characters but it's all about transporting the audiences into an immersive experience of "being there" in the evacuation itself.  

With Dunkirk, Nolan has added another engaging chapter to his impressive body of work. He's arguably one of the few directors out there who still challenges himself with each film, and we're not talking about small films but big budget tent-poles. Dunkirk is akin to a roller coaster experience - it deserves to be watched again.

RATING: 9.5/10

HACKSAW RIDGE (2017)

Genre: War / Drama

Running Length: 2:11

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey

Director: Mel Gibson

Screenplay: Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan 

Mel Gibson's road to atonement is finally completed with HACKSAW RIDGE. He has always been a capable director (and a manic actor) but unfortunately, his personal problems has caused him his reputation over the last decade. Granted that this movie is not the perfect redemption, but I can safely say he has made right and reconciled back to the inner circle of Hollywood.

Gibson has always gravitated towards tales of heroism and spirituality, and this film embraces both these elements. This is a true story of Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield), who refused to carry a weapon into the battlefield at Okinawa (during WW2) due to his convictions as a Christian. He believes his calling into "the hellfire of battle" is to save lives as a medic rather than taking them.

The movie has a distinct 3 segments; Doss' formative years, the army training episode and the battle scenes at Hacksaw Ridge. Although, the first and second acts were normal (it was actually pretty unremarkable), it was a necessary build up. Because when the characters which were established gets killed or horribly dismembered by the Japanese in the third act, we feel the gravity of the horrific situation as it unfolds. 

The battle scenes are reminiscent of the opening sequence from Saving Private Ryan. But I must say, Gibson's version is more prolonged and unflinching. This guy has an obsession with the physical effects of carnage on soft flesh (The Passion of the Christ, anyone?). The combat scenes are bloody and chaotic. The gore here is graphic but not gratuitous. 

Garfield's performance is solid and is worthy of his Oscar nomination. While Vaughn seemed to be an odd choice to be the cast as the drill sergeant, he grows into his character overtime. Also a shout out to Weaving, Worthington and Bracey for their limited-but-affecting performance. 

Gibson is one of those rare directors (come to think of it, I can't think of any others) who can pull off a balance between extreme violence and delivering a clear spiritual message. As the version I watched in the cinema has no cuts, I would suggest you quickly catch it before our local audiences file a complain. 

RATING: 8.5/10

  

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2014)

Genre: Science Fiction / Adventure
Running Length: 2:10
Cast: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, Nick Thurston
Director: Matt Reeves

"The most shocking fact about war is that its victims and its instruments are individual human beings, and that these individual beings are condemned by the monstrous conventions of politics to murder or be murdered in quarrels not their own." - Aldous Huxley

In the latest Planet Of The Apes installment, DAWN OF THE PLANETS OF THE APES, the lesson of decisions and actions have consequences is explored in a tough and uncompromising way. While there are some solid action sequences, this motion picture defies the common notions of what is expected from a "summer" film. The narrative is structured like a Shakespearean tragedy; it's about love and hate, peace and war, freedom and fear - where the characters are conflicted to choose the values they are against in order to achieve the results they desire eg. in order to keep the peace, one has no choice but to fight. This film is so realistic and documentary-like (with regards to how most wars are started and fought) I didn't feel at any one time I was watching a bunch of humans interacting with CGI. And speaking of humans and CGI, DAWN is far more superior in every aspect compared to its immediate predecessor Rise of The Planet of the Apes. Besides having more depth and breadth in the narrative, the human characters here are more developed compared to the forgettable cardboard-like folks in Rise. Also, the personalities of the apes are fleshed out very well. There are some tender moments shared between apes and humans which would move even the hardest of hearts. That said, to fully appreciate DAWN, one should watch Rise first. A few words must be written about the amazing contribution of Andy Serkis for making Caesar the most compelling character in the movie despite very little dialogue (his eyes and mannerism are stunningly life-like). Caesar is a remarkable creation of human acting and CGI. While DAWN boast some big-name human stars, make no mistake – Serkis is the star. It's refreshing to see a big-budget summer movie that's more interested in telling a story than bombarding the audience with carnage, explosions and deafening sound effects.

Rating: 9/10