All Quiet on the Western Front (2023) Dir. Edward Berger

This third cinematic adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s powerful 1929 book sees 17-year-old Paul Bäumer (a harrowing Felix Kammerer) who enlists in the German army with his friends during World War I.

Their wide-eyed patriotic morality is immediately upended when they arrive on the front line in a hellscape of dirty trenches, jaded soldiers and uncompromising death.

As the diplomats from the two-sides discuss an armistice in nauseatingly opulent surroundings, the soldiers continue the battle on the ground with Paul witnessing suicidal attacks and gas-related poisonings.

Berger’s film certainly doesn’t scrimp from the horrors of war and the movie contains scenes of harrowing devastation – both physical and mental – which is impressive given the many iterations of this war on screen.

It's a disturbing and uncompromising piece that takes the familiar material of the book (and the genre) and injects cinematic flourishes that will have audiences both open-mouthed and rightly disgusted.

Youthful innocents with a rose-tinted view of battle are sacrificial pawns for the war-mongering rich based safely away miles behind enemy lines.

Winner of 4 Oscars, the film also has lavish cinematography which has the look of a colourised black & white war photograph and a great non-traditional score full of eerie sounds and droning chords adds to the impressive work delivered by its virtuoso cast.

Altogether, the combination of fantastic cinematic elements with actors providing every emotion as they experience the torment of the trenches, make it a shell-shocking look at paths with no glory.

★★★★★

5/5

Michael Sales

All Quiet on the Western Front is available on UK home release on April 24th 2023