Deathwatch (2002)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Michael J. Bassett

Writer:

Michael J. Bassett (writer)

Release Date:

7 November 2002 (Hong Kong)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | War | Thriller

Tagline:

Deliver them from evil

Plot:

In 1917, in the Western front, a group of survivors of the British Company Y reach the most forward German trench in a foggy night...

Plot Keywords:

German | Trench | German Soldier | British Soldier | WWI

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Jamie Bell	...	Pfc. Charlie Shakespeare
Rúaidhrí Conroy	...	Pvt. Colin Chevasse (as Ruaidhri Conroy)
Mike Downey	...	Martin Plummer
Laurence Fox	...	Capt. Bramwell Jennings
Roman Horak	...	German soldier
Dean Lennox Kelly	...	Pvt. Willie McNess
Torben Liebrecht	...	Friedrich
Kris Marshall	...	Pvt. Barry Starinski
Hans Matheson	...	Pvt. Jack Hawkstone
Hugh O'Conor	...	Anthony Bradford
Matthew Rhys	...	Cpl. Doc Fairweather
Andy Serkis	...	Pvt. Thomas Quinn
Hugo Speer	...	Sgt. David Tate
Pavel Tesar	...	Mudman

Also Known As:

No Man's Land (USA) (working title)
Untitled Great War Project (UK) (working title)
Untitled WWI Trench Horror (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, language and brief sexuality.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

UK | Germany

Language:

English | French | German

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Malaysia:18SG | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Argentina:16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-18 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Hong Kong:III | Japan:PG-12 | Norway:15 | Peru:18 | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Benesov, Czech Republic

Company:

ApolloMedia

Trivia:

In the German dubbed version, the German soldiers speak French.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The gun Shakespeare uses to shoot Quinn in the end is a Bergmann MP18, a gun which was not introduced until the beginning of 1918 in time for the great Spring Offensive of the Germans. It was the first of its type to appear, so not only would Shakespeare not have found one, he would probably also have been rather surprised by it.

Quotes:

Cpl. Doc Fairweather: McNess, what are you doing?
Pvt. Willie McNess: Leaving!
Pvt. Thomas Quinn: Well that's the best idea I've heard all day.

Worthwatch

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.