Deathwatch (2002)

It must have been about a year ago when we saw the 'Redux' version of Francis Ford Coppola's classic Apocalypse Now on a Saturday night movie circle session. Afterwards, a discussion came up about how to categorize the movie, and whether the added scenes contribute something significant or are detrimental te the movie as a whole, as I find to be the case. The theatrical cut perfectly balances between being horror and war movie, and 'Redux' just tips the scales off-balance. Strangely enough, a war stage in a horror movie has been done before, but not very often. Antonio Margheriti comes to mind with The Last Hunter, a somewhat cheap and sad rehash of Apocalypse Now. David Twohy's Below isn't exactly horror, more like a thriller, whatever the exact difference between these two may be. There are more, of course, but as for settings they're way outnumbered by New England villages, West Virginian woods, Louisiana-style mansions and Carpathian castles. Come to think of it, this may very well be the reason why I love movies like Robert Fuest's And Soon The Darkness so much: set in bright and sunny French countryside. But I digress.

Director Michael J. Bassett's Deathwatch, a British/German/Czech 2002 production is a horror movie in a war setting, set in the trenches of World War I in the year 1917. The Y company, a British platoon, manages to occupy a German outpost in enemy territory. Private Charles Shakespeare (Jamie Bell), a 16 year old rookie, is our leading character as our protagonists enter the isolated, muddy trenches. The trenches are infested by rats and corpses, and with haunting sounds from every dark angle, the troopers soon find themselves their worst enemy. This is the claustrophobic stage for a series of horrifying and inexplicable events - which I'm not going to give away for fear of ruining the unique viewing experience Deathwatch may offer you. Let's just put it this way, it's basically a haunted house movie set in the trenches of World War I.

It's not a perfect movie. It's a little cliché here and there (most notably at the ending) and it doesn't push the horror envelope out all that far. But it's nice to see something that challenges the audience on a different level. You will really wonder what the movie was about, and you won't get it spoon fed (which I think is basically, or at least potentially, a good thing). It could have been more genuinely frightening, but it was quite creepy and it could have had a bit more story happening to keep things moving along. There are some nice turns from a mixed bunch of young actors. Jamie Bell is nicely innocent and naive. Andy Serkis stands out as he chews his way through any scene he's in and the other guys are all on pretty good form. Some are a little more wooden than others but overall they're all pretty real.

Interestingly, we don't get any substantial background from anyone. This must have been done on purpose; the viewer is not supposed to associate him- or herself with any of the main characters. However, this really doesn't serve any narrative purpose and it leaves the movie a little unfocused.

The special effects range from pretty good to pretty pedestrian. Nothing is outright bad but they could have done with some more money if the director insisted on being as ambitious as he obviously was. The gore is there, nice and glorious, but not abundant which makes it all the more effective. But what will really get you in the atmosphere are the trenches themselves. They look so real that they even feel real. The rain and the location are just so oppressive that it makes it almost hard to watch.

The flaws I mentioned before don't really get in the way. They're merely imperfections in an otherwise great little movie. It's a gem, albeit a rough one. Deathwatch comes with a firm recommendation from me.