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| About Review |
Reviewer
RumbleWolf4
Review Date
9th July, 2004
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| Movie Credits |
Director
Michael J. Basset
Cast
Jamie Bell
Torben Liebrecht
Laurence Fox
Hugo Speer
Andy Serkis
Screenplay
Michael J. Basset
Tagline
"Deliver them from evil."
Country
UK
Classification
R
Year
2002
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| Errors |
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| DVD Cover Art |
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| DVD Information |
Format
NTSC
Region Coding
1
Aspect Ratio
2.35:1
16x9 Enhanced
Yes
Running Time
96 minutes
Year Released
2004
Packaging
Keep Case
Extra Features
2 Audio Commentaries
Deleted Scenes
3 Movie Trailers
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Deathwatch
The Plot
The British platoon known as Y Company is hopelessly lost in enemy territory during WWI. Seeking shelter, they take refuge in a German trench that they had managed to secure. As night descends, they remain in the trench, unrescued. Eventually the men learn that an evil force lurks within the cursed ground of the trench. Vengeful spirits of the war-torn are plaguing the men and they eventually begin to slip away into insanity and begin to turn on each other.. Soon, the soldiers of Y Company find themselves locked in a desperate struggle for survival against not only the malevelont forces but themselves as well.
The Movie
After Predator, Dog Soldiers, The Bunker and now Deathwatch, military horror will probably soon become an official sub-genre. What a surprise this film was.Of course, you know it should be good if Clive Barker praises the film on it's cover. It begins as a war film and slowly moves into the realm of supernatural horror. The film practically reeks of death thanks to effective and awesome set design and cinematography. The trench is littered with mud covered bodies, bloated rats and vile flies. Not the to mention the constant torrents of rain help elaborate the area and make it all the more dismal and depressing. Also, the film uses a limited color palette mainly consisting of dul greys and browns, creating a more earthly and primal feel to the film.
The movie does not emphasize explicit gore but there are some impressive scenes involving head shots, posessed barbed wire, howling blood-soaked phantoms and some really hungry rats. The movie's only downfalls are some spotty acting and dialouge, a slow pace and a downright bizarre (albeit surprising) twist ending. The pacing reminded me of Halloween. Quietly setting up small, subtle scares before unleashing an intense climax. But it didn't fare as well here as it did for Halloween. Although it's not for all tastes, this is a good movie that makes good use of the setting to spook you. The sound effects are great as well.
Part war movie, part ghost story and part psychological thriller, Deathwatch is certaintly an overlooked gem. Dig this one up, because it's well worth it!
The DVD
Better than I expected. We get two audio commentaries (one from the production team and one from the cast) and a cache of deleted scenes, with text introductions by the director. Quinn's alternate death is particualry cool, but it was cut do to the low quality of the effects. Alongside those, we get three previews for Ghost Rock, Godsend and Nine Lives. As per transfer and sound, they're both fine but the film got a little too drak in some scenes. Decent enough, especially for a direct-to-video DVD.
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