Deathwatch

The year is 1917 and a small band of British troops happen upon a German trench. Very few people are alive in this trench and it looks as if something wicked has gone on there. Eventually, the British troops find out that there is an evil presence in the trench, but will they be able to escape it?

The set design and atmosphere in "Deathwatch" was primo. It was rainy, muddy, cold, and you can tell that the entire trench was a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. The actors put in strong performances which were on par with the set design. They exuded angst, desperation, confusion, and fear. The plot, however, wasn't as compelling as everything else. I almost feel like the set and the performances were wasted on this piece.

During the I World War a group of English soldiers capture an enemy German dugout, while taking one of the opposing forces hostage. Surprisingly however the German wasn't even protecting the trench from outside forces with his focus set on something much closer. The soldiers (comprising amongst other of Jamie "Billy Elliott" Bell and Andy "Gollum" Serkis) quickly come to realise that evil has permeated the trench with barb-wired death around every corner. Madness and suspicion is released amongst the unit leaving in doubt anyone's survival...

Masterfully acted from start to finish with some tremendous rain-drenched photography "Deathwatch" is a very promising experience showing the potential of the debutee director Michael J. Bassett. With a shoestring budget he manages to invoke realistic trenches and positionary warfare with the unseen enemy hiding amongst the mud, water and fog. Additionally we are serviced some quite brutal heart-stopping gore, which makes you double-check areas of your body to make sure you remain intact.

Despite consistently conveying the dreary atmosphere the script however is unable to fulfil expectations, even though the open-ended unresolved-on-a-plate ending is a small triumph for the director. Nonetheless the whole movie is predictable and does not offer any freshness. Additionally the plot is severely underdeveloped and some key scenes seem missing or are just tremendously underplayed. Some of the direction tends to be a bit confusing - before the bodycount cuts down the number of soldiers it is hard to actually follow who is doing what or who is who for that matter. In the end it feels more like a well-done test-run created to prove a simple point: I know how to make movies. Essentially perfectly ordinary, but nonetheless sure to creep you out and hauntingly involve during the viewing pleasure.

During the horror of world war II, a few survivors of an English regiment, trapped behind enemy lines take refuge in a deserted German trench. When no help arrives, they begin to suffer mysterious and gruesome fates at the hands of something more terrifying than the war itself.

I found this film to be very enjoyable, it has a wonderfully creepy and suspenseful atmosphere, and the setting for the movie is perfectly dark and mysterious to heighten the plot.

Deathwatch is solidly directed and well cast and is a very different take on the horror genre as a whole that is refreshing to see.

7/10

Set in the trenches of the First World War this is the first film I've seen set during that time that got the sense of place right. Its the got the entombed bodies in the ground, in the walls, and everywhere you look right. It is a bleak existence that the soldiers take almost matter of factly.

The plot has a group of British soldiers getting lost during an attack and finding a German trench. The Germans are more concerned with something in the trench to pay the Brits any mind and try to send them away. All but one of the Germans are shot, but because of a language problem he can't tell them whats is lurking close by.

Beautifully shot, excellently acted this is a very good little horror film. No, its not the be all and end all of horror films but its a damn good little thriller that rises about the typical thanks to its setting and the cast.

This is a film worth putting a bit of effort into finding. I doubt that you'll hate it if you find it, at the very least you'll come away liking it.

8 out of 10.

This was one heck of a good movie, I had read nothing about it and bought it based on the box artwork.

This is a WW1 horror movie that takes place mostly in a set of "German trenches" This movie rarely nailed down the muck and horror of trench warfare in my mind. It is a creepy horrible looking place.

The acting is very good and rarely over the top, and the movie maintains a sense of tension and controlled panic from beginning until the climax, where it goes into full panic and finally horrified understanding.

The special effect are not too bad to pretty darn good,it has moments of gore too.

This is a very worthwhile ghost story that should keep you on the edge of your seat, I recommend it as a top notch B movie.