It's 6 April 1917, and World War I is raging on. Lance Corporal Tom Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) is given a duty to send a message to Colonel Mackenzie of the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment to cancel an attack that will cause 1.600 British soldiers' lives to be in peril because they will enter Germans' trap. He's chosen because his brother, Lieutenant Joseph Blake (Richard Madden), is in that Battalion, and he takes his friend, Lance Corporal William Schofield (George MacKay), along with him. To deliver the message, they must pass through No Man's Land and even go behind German lines. Will they succeed to deliver the message?
To talk about this movie, i need to tell some important plot points, so Spoiler Alert!
The plot of this movie is quite simple, about two soldiers try to deliver a message. But its strength lies in its cinematography. Director Sam Mendes made it looks like it was taken in one shot, from start to finish. More than just a gimmick, there's a purpose why he made the movie looked that way. As a saying, "The journey is more important than the destination," he wants us to experience Blake and Schofield's journey and the horror that they've seen along the way.
We all have heard the terms "trench warfare" and "No Man's Land" that are famous from World War I, right? Now we have the chance to experience them ourselves. Stuck in the dirty and muddy trenches for weeks until our sense of time is lost, accompanied by rats, all the while being hungry and homesick. No Man's Land is even worse, barren wasteland between two opposing sides that's full with corpses, humans and animals, makes this place looks like a literal hell. Outside them, things are not better. Gruesomely injured comrades and shell shock are a common sight. Not just soldiers, civilians are suffering the same fate. Poverty and hunger are everywhere.
In these situations, it's easy to have a cynical point of view toward life. Medal of honor means nothing. It doesn't make you special, it doesn't make any difference to anyone. Schofield is even willing to barter it with a bottle of wine. Family and loved ones that are left behind just want the soldiers to come home, it can't be replaced with a bit of tin. Schofield hated when he was going home just to leave again and this time his family might not see him anymore. Colonel Mackenzie hesitates to follow the command and stop the attack at first because he's afraid that it will only give him false hope. Stop sending his soldiers to the battlefield today just to send them back again tomorrow. In the end, the war will never end until the last man standing. As he says, "Hope is a dangerous thing."
Even in those bleakest of times, Blake and Schofield never give up and try to do their best. Blake is motivated to save his brother, and Schofield is reluctant to do this mission at first. He wants to wait until the sun sets before carries on the mission, but Blake wants to do it as fast as possible. Schofield even gets angry to Blake for bringing him into this mission when he almost gets killed. But that changes after Blake dies.
Motivated by solidarity, now Schofield is totally committed to the mission. His attitude changes from "Why me?" to "I will". He does everything to deliver the message. Push a stuck truck, cross a broken bridge, fight german soldiers, jump into the raving river, and even run across battlefield in the middle of a battle just to send the message on time. His bravery has saved not only his friend's brother, but also an entire battalion.
Despite of what he has done, no one is gonna remember his name, the world won't recognize his name. His name will be forgotten by time. History books will only record the names of the Generals and nation leaders. But these people work behind the scene, it's soldier like Blake and Schofield who put their lives in the front line to sacrifice for the good of many. Yet, their names will only be cherished by their descendants. There's a reason why officers in this movie are starred by big names, such as Colin Firth, Mark Strong, and Benedict Cumberbatch, while Blake and Schofield are played by unknown actors. It's a metaphor that sometimes it's the unknowns who do more jobs and sacrifice more.
We can see the relevancy of this movie with our present during COVID-19 pandemic. Before, we always idolize celebrities. Good looks and talents seem to be the most important things. But now, it turns out that all of that doesn't mean anything in the face of the pandemic. It's people who must still work so others can stay at home during the quarantine that apparently are more important in these dire times. Emergency service workers; custodial and sanitation workers; farm workers and farmers; grocery workers; packaging, shipping, and delivery workers; food service workers; teachers and childcare workers; and most importantly, all medical staff, such as doctors, nurses, other medical workers, public health workers, and medical researchers.
They are the unsung heroes whose names won't be remembered by history, but they have the most important role to help humanity wins this war against the pandemic. They are front line soldiers, like Blake and Schofield who sacrifice their needs and safety for the greater good. Let us remember, cherish, and be grateful for their services. They don't ask us anything in return for their sacrifice. No medals, recognition, or other awards, except prayers for their safety. Because in the end, again, just like Blake and Schofield, all they want is to be able to come home for their family and loved ones.
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