No Man's Land

source: No Man's Land

Deathwatch

I cannot say I ever saw a horror movie set in a WWI trench and I am not sure one has existed until this one. Or is this actually a horror movie or something else? Anyway the movie is rather predictable and cliche ridden. All around competent acting and directing saves it from being a disaster.

During the horror of world war II, a few survivors of an English regiment, trapped behind enemy lines take refuge in a deserted German trench. When no help arrives, they begin to suffer mysterious and gruesome fates at the hands of something more terrifying than the war itself. I found this film to be very enjoyable, it has a wonderfully creepy and suspenseful atmosphere, and the setting for the movie is perfectly dark and mysterious to heighten the plot. Deathwatch is solidly directed and well cast and is a very different take on the horror genre as a whole that is refreshing to see. 7/10

Another in the recent wave of War-Horror movies like Dog Soldiers and The Bunker, this one actually has a couple of stand out moments. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone, but there are some interesting moments with barbed wire. The acting was good overall, with most of the actors showing some nice restraint. Typically, you give an actor a period military uniform, a gun, and some exclamation points in the dialogue and you have a recipe for disaster. Points go to the director for keeping a lid on the overly dramatic yelling and screaming. Still, the pacing can be a little tedious at times, and tends to get a little repetitious. Succeeds where The Bunker fell down in that it actually delivers some chills and delivers an ending that isn't too reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode. 6 out of 10.