Tales of the First World War relayed to Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall) by his grandfather, Alfred Mendes, form the spine of this gripping action film. Taking us from the British trenches to behind enemy lines, all in two seemingly continuous shots, Mendes puts his characters - and us - through the wringer, as they desperately try to forestall a massacre.
Doomed youth: the 1917 trailer has arrived
The trailer for Sam Mendes' first feature after Spectre has just arrived, and it's a bombshell.