de facto film reviews 3 stars

Edward Berger’s anti-war epic All Quiet on the Western Front is a realistically graphic and riveting film based on the 1929 book of the same name by Erich Maria Remarque. Shockingly grisly and pulling no punches, this World War I movie from the German perspective showcases the alternating boredom and terror of war like few movies which have come before it.

Starring Felix Kammerer as protagonist Paul Baümer, a naive young schoolboy who wishes to be a hero in a time of nationalistic fervor, All Quiet on the Western Front delivers one of the most detailed depictions of life in the trenches ever put to film. Although it diverges from the book in several keyways, namely in the addition of a parallel plot structure in which German delegates seek an armistice with France, the differences between this film and the book are beneficial.

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Daniel Bruhl of Inglorious Basterds fame plays German politician Matthias Erzberger and his pursuit of peace to save the lives of men on both sides is a welcome addition to the story. Bruhl, who is also a producer on the project, delivers a heartfelt performance as well. One thread of the tale features Devid Striesow as General Friedrichs, who spends most of his time dining in fine estates while his men suffer together in the trenches. The juxtaposition of Friedrichs’ fine food and silver crockery versus Baumer’s brutal struggles in the desolate fields of France shows how out of touch the generals really were with the conditions their soldiers were forced to go through.

Our new Paul Baümer is played to excellent effect by Kammerer, who never once stops convincing the viewer that he really is struggling through the somber realities of life in the Great War. The film’s pacing is purposeful and powerful; it seeks to display the mundane boredom of war peppered by brief moments of extreme violence and ultimately points out the arbitrary nature of the millions of deaths which plagued an entire generation of Europeans. For the first hour, not much happens in the way of action. The young soldiers seek glory and fun on the battlefield, not yet encountering enemies, but still they grapple with the harsh conditions of trench warfare on the Western Front.

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The cinematography is iconic, as it is hard to shake the feeling that you yourself are on the battlefield with the young men. The camaraderie and love they have for each other is felt in every moment of downtime that they have together and ultimately sets the stage for the immediacy of the loss of life which will come later in the film. The second hour, arguably the most shocking and vile portion of the film, features a couple of scenes which will no doubt make their rounds on YouTube and survive in the collective consciousness of audiences everywhere as definitive examples of what war was really like in 1918.

One such scene shows the men meeting tanks on the battlefield for the first time. The mighty iron behemoths make quick work of the men armed with rifles and bayonets, and the later introduction of flamethrowers and gas grenades brings home the horror of war so effectively that it’s almost too much to take. It would be over the top if it wasn’t so realistic.  Anti-war films do seek to surprise and stay in the minds of those who watch them. This purpose is perhaps never more effectively executed than in this film, which constantly provokes the viewer with depictions of death and destruction that certainly reflect real life conditions on the battlefields of the Great War.

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Kammerer, for his part, plays the first part of the film with ease and innocence, his bright blue eyes shining with hope and love for his brothers in arms. By the end of the film, steeled by their grisly deaths and the ultra harsh realities of war, his eyes appear dead, and his only focus is to avenge his fallen brothers and contribute to the terrible machine that is war on such a great scale. The music, which features sparse military drum beats at key moments as well as Westworld-like electronic bass tones, adds a key element of foreboding to the scenes.

There are many sweet moments shared between the men; their bonding experience is at once powerful and precise. This buildup adds to the tragic payoff of the staggering loss of life which is depicted later in the film. Another divergence from the source material is the fate of each character. The men suffer in different ways than the book depicts, but this adds a layer of novelty to the film and keeps the viewer who might have seen the 1930 or 1979 versions on their toes.

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Sporting a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and receiving rave reviews from critics, All Quiet on the Western Front is a captivating and brutal anti-war epic which hammers home the harsh realities of war. It does so with great performances, breathtaking cinematography and a somber soundtrack which cements the viewer in the appalling state of affairs of static warfare on the Western Front.

All Quiet on the Western Front is now streaming on Netflix