Review of The Trench (1999) by Alison O — 07 Jan 2006

Best in Show: Daniel Craig.

One for the future: Paul Nicholls.

Stand-out scene: Sniper fire.

Brainer or no-brainer: Brainer.

Stands up to one viewing or repeated?: Repeated.

DVD commentary any good?: n/a.

TV.

World War One - a subject of many movies before, but this production from 1999 with its mainly British cast is worth seeking out. Evoking both Gallipoli and the final episode of Black Adder Goes Forth, its setting is a muddy trench just prior to the Battle of the Somme. All levels of the army heirarchy from the lowly foot soldier through to Sergeant Telford Winter - now they're cold (Daniel Craig) and the second Lieutenant, Ellis Harte (Julian Rhind-Tutt) right up to Lt. Col Villiers (Adrian Lukis) are featured, each facing up to the imminent charge into no-man's land in their own respective ways. While there is a feel of It Aint Half Hot Mom about the stagey sets (A Very Long Engagement has pretty much set the benchmark where muddy realism is concerned) this is a boy's own (as in only boys) dialogue rather than action-heavy movie and the roll call of up and coming British and Irish male acting talent on show here is impressively broad. The new Bond, Daniel Craig has impact as the war-seasoned sergeant while Julian Rhind-Tutt, familiar to me from his comedy roles in Hippies and Green Wing is a stiff upper lipper with a penchant for a stiff drink. Of the rank and file soldiers, Paul Nicholls stands out as a young recruit, with Murphy, James D'Arcy, Ciaran McMenamin and Danny Dyer all contributing to the overall impact of the movie. Directed and written by William Boyd, whose background lies in screenwriting alone (Chaplin) it's a loss to the British film industry that he hasn't directed since. I must admit I was quite surprised to learn that this was made a good five or six years ago and it reflects well on Boyd's ability to spot up and coming talent. Sombre and affecting, this stands its ground alongside the best of the WW1 movies.