The War Below

First world war drama ,in the fields of no mansland, soldiers life in the trenches of mud and decay, rats and the proud underground workers serving under the colonels wings in the ranks of king edward/george?(cant remember) the king of the british empire, where the coal miners excavate tunnels under the german lines to blast the into never land.

Its a dangerous job digging, also the danger of crossing the line of german mining moles does amplify the scares. So its about silence in everything you do, unless you might get killed by an earthskott.

Story and production is well taken care of, the detailed background war theater that usually is a lowdown on past productions,do seem very realistic here. To be squemish i think the spoken english is far to modern, some dialect coaching couldve made it more timely of the era.

Intens and feels like never ending, and shows some of the forgotten sons of the king and country, they didnt win the war, they just laid the foundation for it. A good film good style and at times quite breathless moment for a grumpy old man. Recommended.

This is the first movie I've seen that was focusing on this topic - digging a tunnel to the German trenches. Up to this point, I've only ever read about the sorts of daring actions these coal miners did in the trenches in WWI.

The production value was high. It really did manage to convey what life was like for the diggers in these trenches. But even so, I'm sure it was no where near representing how it was really like in real life. But it was done well in this movie. It's realism clearly exceeding the realism of any recent war movies - particularly when compared to movies like "Dunkirk" by Chris Nolan.

Other pluses from this movie... the acting was superb, the drama and atmosphere created with all the special effects and set designs, simply brilliant.

SUMMARY: Inspired by true events with the war serving as the backdrop The main story is the courage, sacrifices and contribution the coal miners did in WWI.

VERDICT: Recommended viewing - specially if you're a history/war buff.

Based on the true WWI story of a group of professional tunnellers, bought in by the army to tunnel under enemy lines and blow up their defences in time for 'the big push' at the Battle of Messiness.

This was never going to be a Where Eagles Dare type war film and its limited budget is clear. However this is a solid and towards the climax, exciting true story. The characterisations are a little bit bland and you never really get to know them, but this is largely because of the need to focus on the mechanics of the tunnelling effort. That said, Sam Hazeldine, the man in charge of his not always convinced team does well in the hero role and steers the story along nicely. The film also devotes time to emphasising per the ongoing controversy that General Haig and Colonel Fielding were as mad as a box of frogs and cared little for their men as long as they pushed forward and died like gentlemen.

The kind of film that is hard to find today. Better than 1917. Story, direction, acting, editing/pacing, and set design all first rate. Photography is sublime, as is the music. Nearly flawless all around. No modern messaging here. Rather, 'The War Below' is an intimate "true story" film played out in believable understated fashion, acknowledging the sacrifices made by four everyday men who did something extraordinary (what most thought could not be done) to help end the "Great War". A fabulous film and highly recommended.

It simply has everything in the right place. It's a combination of a great story of real selfless sacrifice, a good script and excellent acting.

Could the end result be any better? Sure. If they had the budget for million-dollar special effects and A-list actors, the eye-candy value would be higher. But this is a war movie, about real people who gave their lives for others. It's not Candy Crush.