La tranchée

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

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.

I was reading several of the reviews on this site as I was watching the movie. I agree with some and disagree with some. There have been several comments regarding the relatively low budget. What's wrong with that? I, for one, appreciate seeing a movie that is nothing but real actors filling the screen, rather than special effects and computer-generated action. I think relatively low budget aspect of not having special effects made it more "real". The acting I thought was fine. The only person I recognize, being an American, was Jamie Bell. He did his usual very good job here. I have absolutely no idea who the rest of the cast is, so I was not constrained in believability as several reviewers were who mentioned that when they see one specific actor, for example, they keep thinking of his role on a television show. With Bell being the only guy I've seen before, all the actors were, to me, able to settle into their roles as WWI soldiers.

I agree with a couple reviewers who commented that it was good that it was an all-British cast. As an American, it annoys the hell out of me when Hollywood makes movies that involve characters from other nations, and could very easily fill those roles with actors from those nations, but instead use American actors with horrible imitation accents, or worse yet, not even using an accent. Regarding what the movie was "really" about, I like the fact that it was left a little up in the air. This is one of those movies that allows heated debated after viewing it. It is good to have a movie that lets you think for yourself regarding what you just watched, rather than having it force-fed to you. I think this was a very good movie, one in which a low budget, all British cast, and completely unknown (for an American) actors other than Bell, all combine to equal an enjoyable viewing experience.

Another in the recent wave of War-Horror movies like Dog Soldiers and The Bunker, this one actually has a couple of stand out moments. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but there are some interesting moments with barbed wire. The acting was good overall, with most of the actors showing some nice restraint. Typically, you give an actor a period military uniform, a gun, and some exclamation points in the dialogue and you have a recipe for disaster. Points go to the director for keeping a lid on the overly dramatic yelling and screaming. Still, the pacing can be a little tedious at times, and tends to get a little repetitious. Succeeds where The Bunker fell down in that it actually delivers some chills and delivers an ending that isn't too reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode. 6 out of 10.