John reviews the WWI movie 1917. The stunning photography and skillful editing are among his highest accolades, but the real element that makes this movie a winner is its depiction of the moral complexity of war and the personal struggle to find the grit to continue in the face of almost certain destruction.

The movie synopsis goes something like this: In the midst of World War I, two soldiers – Lance Cpl. Schofield and Lance Cpl. Blake – are instructed to deliver a message that takes them into enemy territory. As they race the clock to carry out their orders, they face impossible circumstances, are challenged beyond measure personally as well as existentially, and are spurred on by a defiant will to overcome adversity. They are told the message they carry could potentially save 1,600 of their fellow soldiers – not excluding Blake's own brother.