Deathwatch
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| Deathwatch | |
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| Directed by | Michael J. Bassett |
| Produced by | Mike Downey |
| Written by | Michael J. Bassett |
| Starring | Jamie Bell, Laurence Fox, Kris Marshall |
| Distributed by | Lions Gate Films |
| Release date(s) | 6 December 2002 (UK) |
| Running time | 94 min. |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Deathwatch is a 2002 film directed by Michael J. Bassett. The film had the tagline: "Deliver them from evil."
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[edit] Plot
The story is set during World War I. In the chaos of a trench war battle, a small group of British soldiers gets lost, surrounded by a thick mysterious fog. As they emerge from it, they come across a complex network of deserted German trenches. Convinced they have broken through the enemy lines, they decide to secure the trench and begin to explore it only to find mutilated German corpses everywhere. Something very strange and evil has happened here. When one of them is found horribly murdered, and wrapped in barbed wire, they know they are not alone.
[edit] Theories
There are many theories about the movie circulating in the cyberspace. Among them are:
- The soldiers died in the raid against the Germans on the Western Front when the enemy gunned them down and the gas was dropped on them. The trench that they come across is a form of purgatory for their sins in their previous lives. The men that escape or are murdered by their own comrades are free to start a new life and the men either killed or attacked by the trench have to repeat the whole process all over again under the eye of Friedrich (Torben Liebrecht), who resembles a type of judge.
- The whole film is an allegory of the Bible. Such events suggest this as a scene where one of the men is crucified, a biblical tagline, quotes from the Bible itself, a DVD case with the picture of a man wearing a crown of barbed wire, blood on a bible, and the cross.
- The soldiers are going crazy like the Boche soldiers before them under the influence of the gas the night before. In their insanity they kill each other, hear things that aren't real, see strange things like barbed wire growing out of the ground and see dug-outs that they recently exploded come back to their original formation.
- Friedrich is an evil entity. While the soldiers were wandering through the fog, Friedrich leads them to the trench. Here he tests them; those who fail are killed, and those who pass survive and are free to leave the trench. The ending scene in the movie could represent either the original soldiers coming to the trench, or a new group. The new perspective, from which we can see Friedrich's face, is meant to show a sense of knowing, suggesting that he planned for the soldiers to arrive so that he could kill the unworthy.
Whichever of these theories is right, Director Michael J. Bassett is keeping a secret saying that it is important that people decide the correct answer themselves. As there are many compliments sent to the director on his website [1], there is also much criticism by people who cannot understand the end and the fact that the viewer must think about the ending for himself.
[edit] Cast
- Jamie Bell - Pvt Charlie Shakespeare
- Mike Downey - Martin Plummer
- Laurence Fox - Capt Bramwell Jennings
- Hugo Speer - Sgt David Tate
- Matthew Rhys - 'Diving' Doc Fairweather
- Hugh O'Conor - Anthony Bradford
- Andy Serkis - Pvt Thomas Quinn
- Hans Matheson - Pvt Jack Hawkestone
- Dean Lennox Kelly - Pvt Willie McNess
- Rúaidhrí Conroy - Pvt Colin Chevasse
- Kris Marshall - Pvt Barry Starinski
- Torben Liebrecht - Friedrich
[edit] Films of similar theme
Some films that possess the same war/horror genre are listed below:
- The Bunker (2001) by Rob Green, about a group of German soldiers hiding in a bunker from the American enemy.
- Dog Soldiers (2002) by Neil Marshall, about a group of soldiers fighting werewolves.
- The Keep is a 1983 horror film directed by Michael Mann, set during World War II.
