1917 - 5/5

This movie is impeccably acted, with a compelling story and empathetic characters, but the main draw comes from the fact that the entire thing is a oner. Of course there are several cleverly hidden cuts and one plot-based one, but the effect is more than just window dressing; it brings the audience with the characters on their urgent journey. The main characters have a few lucky escapes from bad marksmen, but that’s a minor quibble at best in a film like this. The period costuming and set design is jaw-dropping, and everything comes together in an impressive and epic package.

Content warning: war violence

Closest comparison: Where Dunkirk (2017) shuffled its timeline, 1917’s is seamless.

Setting: War
Plot: Adventure
Tone: Thriller

Bodyguard (Netflix) - 4/5

At first I thought that some of the earlier episodes were too slow to pad the runtime, like many Netflix shows tend to be. But after the turning point about halfway through they started bringing back many points established earlier during the slower parts. Instead of using a political drama to make a political statement, they instead use it to set the stage for the intricate story they’re telling. Usually a movie has to invent shoddy reasons for a character to hide something from his companions, but here the show has time to clearly show who each character is wary of, to what extent, and why.

Closest comparison: It’s like a Tom Clancy movie with the action from one movie stretched out over six episodes.

Setting: Modern
Plot: Thriller
Tone: Drama