1917

Two young soldiers (George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, both excellent) must deliver a life-saving letter to British frontline leaders on 6 April 1917, in this ambitious, thrilling and harrowing First World War odyssey from director Sam Mendes, inspired by his grandfather's experiences. The apparent suicide mission takes the viewer from the stinking British trenches, across a booby-trapped no man's land, through a blitzkrieg-lit night-time chase and into recently occupied German territory, and is shot to give the illusion of being one, long unbroken take by Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins. Although hitting all the familiar "war is hell" targets by way of bracing action and shocking deaths, the battlefront pressures and misery are also vividly portrayed. Dotted along the tensely unpredictable route are terrific cameos from Andrew Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch and Richard Madden, who assist in delivering the devastating emotional punches.