The pretentious camera work with these pathetic continuous long shots is just all showboating garbage to 'win' awards. YAWN. It;s been done to death Sam. Theres nothing special about the cinematography. It;s not bad, but takes away any intimacy of any scene. Think of Platoon then look at this mess. No where near the calibre of Platoon. You are literally a fly on the wall thoughout the entire film. The main character Schofield was a total wimp, posh boy, and a moron to boot. His friend was just as useless. Glad he got shanked and died, he was a moron as well. So many stupid things they do that just makes you shake your head in disbeleif:
1) Kicking over a bucket of hot coals and talking loudly while you have just arrived in a German trench. What a fabulous idea! A rat (lol) sets off a trip wire and both characters get blown back and not a scratch on them.
2) Not paying attention while exiting the crumbling trench and chatting like they are going for a stroll in their local park. Not looking out for other trip wires or landmines or enemies. Never taking a moment to take cover and observe buildings before they approach. They just walk right up to everything in the open.
3) Helping a downed German pilot rather than blowing his brains out or letting him burn to death. Instead they help him and fat boy manages to let the German pilot gut him with a knife. Serves you right. Then he dies. Good. Knew it was coming anyway. Theres gratitude for you from the German. Then posh boy finds some delicious fresh milk and bottles it, then magically out of nowhere another battalion teleport to his location without making a sound to give him a ride. How convenient!
4) When he is dropped off, the German sniper/rifleman was literally 20 feet away and should/could have been shooting at them all, but waits until posh boy is alone and then lets off shots. Posh boy nails him pretty quickly with precision aim. The convoy would have heard that shot and gone back to help him. But not in this movie.
5) Posh boy goes into the building where the sniper is and opens the door to the room the sniper is in, completely exposing himself and the sniper is still alive. They both take a shot at each other and it's CLEARLY implied posh boy takes a bullet to the chest/torso and flies backwards down the stairs knocking himself out. Yet he wakes up and hasn't been shot? I'm guessing his canteen bottle saved him? Great directing there.
6) It;s at this point where you wonder WTF posh boy is doing as he exits the building at night with flares going up in the air and he just meanders along like a sitting duck along the main path way, instead of legging it to the sides amongst the ruins for much better cover. It it because he is concussed? He seems to be alert enough to know whats going on but makes pi$$ poor choices.
7) I couldnt beleive it when he stands infront of a huge burning building, yet again exposed, and sees another soldier approaching. Instead of thinking oh $hit, it might be a German, he walks TOWARD the soldier like oh hey dude hows it going, and then the soldier shoots at him. It only then clicks that its a German and he starts running. Jesus wept.
7) The German misses him and doesnt see him scramble into a hatch underground, and then meets a French girl with a baby, puts down his gun, sits down, and chills. The German soldier is obviously looking for him and is not far away, and there could be more, but yet again reality goes out the window for some reason. I won't even bother with a milk bit.
8) He;s back on his feet and more Germans spot him and shoot at him, missing. Posh boy sees a German soldier drunk and puking up, then runs into a German his own age, pinning him up against a pillar and puts his hand over his mouth then lets go. The German predictably yells to his drunk buddy so posh boy strangles him. Seriously, you are alone surrounded by Germans and think you can barter with them to shut up? What did he think the German dude was going to do even if he kept his mouth shut? Where is posh boy's survival instict? He's too soft and should be as brutal and unforgiving as he can in his circumstance, but nooooooo.
9) It's at this point I really was fed up with the dire writing. Posh boy leaves his gun, his ONLY gun on the floor, where as he had time to pick it up and EASILY bayonet the incapacitated German to death but instead shoves him over and legs it! Hahahaha. So he runs and runs while more Germans shoot at him and jumps off a ledge into rapids which didnt exist there in real life.
10) You still with me? God bless ya. Well, posh boy is washed down the river til he reaches a load of dead floating corpses, climbs over them, crawls onto the embankment and has a good cry. He can't beleive he gave his munch to the French bird as hes starving. He then walks through a woodland area and hears singing (you couldnt make it up). And how lovely, the battalion he has fought so so hard to reach are all sitting there listening to the soothing voice of a soldier singing. Cringe.
11) He runs above the trench dodging shells like Mr Invinceable to deliver a letter to Bend-a-dik Cumber-B!tch, who tells him to eff aaawf after receiving the letter and reading it, and calling off the attack. Posh boy meets his dead mates olde brother, then the film ends with him leaning up against a tree, just like at the beginning of the film, except fat boy is dead.
The end. Utter guff and grossly over rated. Platoon kicks 1917's a$$.