Review of Deathwatch (2002) by Matt L — 17 Mar 2011

DEATHWATCH is a moody and effective war/horror film hybrid that puts on display low-budget yet impressive production values, decent to very good acting, and a straight-forward story with a few good surprises and shocks.

On the Western Front during the year 1917, the British Y Company endure a horrific battle of bullets and gas from a German assault. Passing through enemy lines, they come upon a corpse-strewn bunker with a handful of survivors fixated on one section of the bunker...Y Company's Captain makes the decision soon after the encounter to hold their position in the bunker until reinforcements arrive. Little do they know of an evil force is at work, behind the soldier's backs and beneath them too...

DEATHWATCH's budget, as limited as it is, can be made apparent by the number of sets (2, one for the first battle and the second for the bunker and its surroundings), and by the make-up and effects. Yet director Michael J. Bassett's craft lets the audience's attention transcend these limitations to notice the small but key historical and thematic aspects.

The costumes, weapons, dialogue, and story abide by the time and day of World War I (from what I've read, of course [All Quiet on the Western Front, anyone?]). When the horror kicks in, however, one can draw parallels to war's mental effects (paranoia, violent tendencies, panic attacks) from what the story's characters go through.

The decent performances are by the film's lesser known actors. The very good acting comes from Jamie Bell and Andy Serkis. Jamie Bell as Pvt. Shakespeare is sincere and means well, and when push comes to shove he brings it. Andy Serkis (who would work with Bell in 2005's KING KONG) is a nutty Thomas Quinn. One can see shades of Gollum, from his smile to his wide-eyed demeanor, in his over-the-top portrayal of a soldier-turned-blooddrunk.

On the unfortunate side of things, the reveal in the 2/3 of DEATHWATCH isn't entirely surprising (yet the shocks are good) and the climax is, while the stakes are high and the body count cap is about reached, feels unfinished in the way that the budget could not go where the script unknowingly (for the audience) did.

While DEATHWATCH's budget was well-used, the climax should have had more of an emotional impact (the emotional impact was solid, just not full-on). In any case, this is a cumbersome flaw that drops DEATHWATCH a notch down from more original genre-benders such as DOG SOLDIERS, DEAD SNOW and OUTPOST.

Even with the faulty climax and the somewhat foreseeable reveal, DEATHWATCH is still essential viewing for war and horror film fans, as well as film viewers interesting in seeing SOLOMON KANE's (and the upcoming SILENT HILL 3-D: REVELATIONS) Michael J. Bassett getting his directing boots wet and Jamie Bell plus Andy Serkis's early careers beginning.