Although I only awarded this film 6/10 for entertainment value, it is actually a 9/10 in terms of achieving its purpose, which is to portray the effect on the human psyche of the situation faced in the trenches during WWI. It is not a 10/10 because one cannot perceive the stench and the filth is not as bad as the reality, while we were spared the gory details of seeing friends gunned down or exploding in pieces in front of one's eyes.
What we do get is the emotional impact of sitting around for days on end waiting for something dreadful to come that there is a strong chance one will not survive. You keep telling yourself you are doing it for your country and that right is on your side, but in the end it all comes down to trying to stay decent and honourable and treat others well, as in ordinary life elsewhere.
It also shows the huge additional strain on officers who care about the men they are sending on missions, often with a slim chance of survival, and their efforts to maintain morale among the troops when even their own is flagging.
Despite the subject, this is not an action movie, but a deep and sensitive study of people who find themselves in the most appalling stressful circumstances and are pushed to the very limit - and often beyond - their capacity to bear the strain.
It should also make us question the human values and political artifices that place ordinary people in such unreasonable circumstances.
What we do get is the emotional impact of sitting around for days on end waiting for something dreadful to come that there is a strong chance one will not survive. You keep telling yourself you are doing it for your country and that right is on your side, but in the end it all comes down to trying to stay decent and honourable and treat others well, as in ordinary life elsewhere.
It also shows the huge additional strain on officers who care about the men they are sending on missions, often with a slim chance of survival, and their efforts to maintain morale among the troops when even their own is flagging.
Despite the subject, this is not an action movie, but a deep and sensitive study of people who find themselves in the most appalling stressful circumstances and are pushed to the very limit - and often beyond - their capacity to bear the strain.
It should also make us question the human values and political artifices that place ordinary people in such unreasonable circumstances.