Review of Deathwatch (2002) by Devin D — 01 Feb 2011

Written and directed by Michael J. Bassett, (who recently did Solomon Kane (2009)), this is a low-budget and creepy war horror, (and there's not that many of those). It's a very claustrophoblic film, tight and contained, with a good ensemble of characters.

Set in 1917 during the midst and horror of World War 1, it has a British regiment trapped behind enemy lines in a thick fog, the regiment consists of 16-year-old boy named Charlie Shakespeare (Jamie Bell), Private Barry Starinski (Kris Marshall), Captain Bramwell Jennings (Laurence Fox), Private Willie McNess (Dean Lennox Kelly) and Private Thomas Quinn (Andy Serkis).

As they emerge from the fog, they find a mysterious labyrinth of German trenches, they find a mound of rotting bodies wrapped in barbed wire. They find one German survivor Friedrich (Torben Liebrecht), who the whole regiment are all nasty too, expect Charlie, who communicates to him by speaking French.

However, members of the regiment are picked off one by one by a mysterious force, and the only radio they find says the regiment is dead. It's mood it set up from the outset, and it remains that way for the whole film.

It does get a bit repetitive, but it has some effective moments, and has a good cast. Serkis steals it as a nasty piece of work, but he's a very good actor.