Inspired by stories told to him by his grandfather, Alfred, director Sam Mendes’ latest film is a war epic that takes a simple story and turns it into something spectacular.

Thinking that the Germans are retreating, the 2nd battalion of the British Army plan a dawn attack that they believe will finish the Germans off, end the war and allow their soldiers to go home. When new aerial images come in that show the Germans are in a much stronger position than expected, General Erinmore (Colin Firth) tasks Lance Corporals Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and William Schofield (George MacKay) to cross no-mans land, go deep into enemy territory and deliver the message calling of the following mornings attack. The lives of 1600 men, including Tom’s brother, depend on their success.

If there is something that the British do particularly well in cinema, it is a great war film and 1917 is no exception. Shot and edited in such a way that it looks to be a single continuous shot, it allows the viewers to truly follow the journey of the two central characters.

1917 is a depiction of war so there is some action, some violence, some gore but this is not the films focus. There is no violence for violence’s sake. No excessively gruesome scenes of severed limbs and broken bodies. What we do see is disturbingly realistic, yet it’s almost an afterthought. It’s sparse and subtle use allows our focus to stay on the bits in between. The friendship and camaraderie between soldiers, the little moments that remind them of home, the never knowing if Death is just around the corner.

When it comes to a good British war film, there are a few faces that are frequent and familiar. Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch and Mark Strong all make appearances in this film, yet their roles are almost cameos, with no more than about 5 minutes of screen time each. Each of their appearances act almost as placeholders, or in game characters, that mark your progress towards final game completion. Whilst I would’ve loved to see more of each of these fine actors, particularly Mark Strong, any extended screen time would have distracted us too much from the main focus.

Despite the high number of well established British actors dotted throughout the two hour runtime, Richard Madden, Daniel Mays and Andrew Scott also make appearances, the films success falls squarely on the shoulders of the two relative unknowns, Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay. Although some of the more eagle-eyed amongst you may recognise Chapman from his days as King Tommen Baratheon in Game of Thrones.

It has to be said that both of these young actors, particularly MacKay, excel in their tasks and deliver two captivating and impressive performances that, coupled with the beautiful shooting style, elevate this from a rather traditional adaptation on war into something much more raw and visceral.

Overall, 1917 is a cinematic masterpiece of a movie that deserves all of the Oscar love it has so far received (10 nominations). Whilst it does face some particularly strong competition, 1917 is my choice for the Best Picture crown. Don’t wait for the DVD release, this film deserves to be watched on the big screen.