1917

British acting elite impress in this fiercely exciting war portrayal by Sam Mendes (Revolutionary Road). Oscar nominations are clearly on their way.

In the bloody trenches of the First World War, two British soldiers – Schofield and Blake – are given an impossible mission. They must cross enemy lines to give warning and keep hundreds of compatriots from walking straight into death. 1917 is a film masterpiece designed as if it were shot in one take, which forcefully increases its intensity. The cinematographic fireworks are brilliant, but what makes 1917 a truly engrossing film to be compared with classics in the genre is Mendes’s ability to not lose sight of the characters in it all. George MacKay, in the role as Schofield, carries the film on his shoulders in what might well be the breakthrough of the year.

• Andreas Degerhammar