Certification. 15
Running Time. 2 hours 28 mins
Director. Edward Berger
Cast. Daniel Brühl, Adrian Grünewald, Edin Hasanovic, Aaron Hilmer, Felix Kammerer, Moritz Klaus, Albrecht Schuch.
Rating. 90%
All Quiet On The Western Front follows 17-year-old Paul Bäumer (Felix Kammerer) and his three friends (Ludwig Behm, Albert Kropp and Franz Müller) through their traumatic experience of war, specifically World War I. Initially filled with fervour and national pride the four friends have been sold a lie - patriotic promises of glory by statesmen complicit in the routine sacrifice of German youth at the front line. Ready to march on Paris, the four friends never advance more than a few metres before retreating into the rat-infested trenches momentarily vacated. Berger's film is no Joyeux Noel, no romanticised portrait of conflict; young men go off to war, die horrible deaths and are repeatedly betrayed by the governing classes.
As the conflict endures, the four friends welcome Stanislaus Katczinsky (Albrecht Schuch) and Tjaden Stackfleet (Edin Hasanovic) into the group. Katczinsky or Kat is a more experienced soldier and comes from an entirely different social background to the four friends. He is illiterate, but Kat and Bäumer form a desperate bond whilst reading letters from home and dreaming of a life after the conflict.
Felix Kammerer may be a newcomer to the mainstream audience, but his performance is impressive - nuanced and powerful in equal measure - and he is ably supported by Albrecht Schuch. The performance of these two actors in particular defines the film.
What prevents All Quiet On The Western Front from becoming a completely cruel and excruciating watch is the repeated cross-cut to the liberal politician, Matthias Erzberger (Daniel Brühl) as he valiantly attempts to negotiate a peace settlement against the wishes of egotistical and vainglorious military personnel. His role in the final moments of the conflict unfolds parallel to Bäumer's personal tale from the trenches. Their stories are inextricably entwined as Erzberger pursues an end to the horror. But we're constantly reminded how much distance there is between the military leaders and the soldiers dying in the trenches, literally; and this storyline serves as a striking counterpoint to any heroic notion that war is noble.
All Quiet On The Western Front is an outstanding technical achievement. One, I have to admit, regret not seeing in the cinema on release, for the cinematography is astonishing, featuring several jaw-dropping battlefield sequences that rival any from Saving Private Ryan or 1917. Mud and blood seem to soak the characters at every possible opportunity. Beyond the battlefield, the surrounding environment is presented on the same epic scale as films such as Cold Mountain, The Revenant or Killers Of The Flower Moon. But All Quiet On The Western Front remains most impressive in the trench warfare scenes, not just because of the visuals but also because these moments demonstrate the crux of the novel - war is hell. Berger hammers this home in the most straightforward and direct manner - the cost in human life.
Edward Berger produces a gripping, immersive experience, one that spares the audience nothing, as we watch Paul Bäumer's innocent blue eyes gradually glaze over into a battle-hardened stare. The director's take on Remarque's World War I epic novel is as poignant as ever and highlights the futility of conflict. Oliver Stone's Platoon perhaps expressed it best - "The first casualty of war is innocence."
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