Deathwatch

Deathwatch - 2002 | 94 mins | Horror, War, Drama | Colour

The Production Team

Director: Michael J. Bassett.
Producer: Mike Downey, Frank Hübner, Sam Taylor and Samantha Taylor.
Script: Michael J. Bassett.
Cinematography: Hubert Taczanowski.
Editing: Anne Sopel.
Production Design: Aleksandar Denic and Sale Denic.
Art Direction: Martin Martinec.
Costume Design: Lucinda Wright.
Sound Department: Nick Adams, Paul Carr, Jirí Kríz and Andy Thompson.
Original Music: Curt Cress, Robert Lane and Chris Weller.

The Cast

Jamie Bell - Charlie Shakespeare
Andy Serkis - Pvt Quinn
Hugo Speer - Sergeant Tate
Matthew Rhys - 'Doc' Fairweather
Hugh O'Conor - Bradford
Laurence Fox - Captain Jennings
Hans Matheson - Pvt Hawkstone
Dean Lennox Kelly - Pvt McNess
Rúaidhrí Conroy - Pvt Chevasse
James McAvoy - McNess
Torben Liebrecht - Friedrich
Kris Marshall - Pvt Starinski

Plot Synopsis

Jamie Bell follows up his Billy Elliot success with this horror film set during World War I. Deathwatch embarks on an engaging enough premise, but suspense and a coherent narrative are sacrificed in favour of exaggerated special effects and smoke.

Western Front, 1917. In the chaos of a trench war battle, the soldiers of Y-Company find themselves enveloped by a mysterious gas cloud. Lost, and without communication, they emerge from the fog to discover a deserted German trench network. Convinced they have broken through enemy lines, they decide to secure the rat-infested trench and begin to explore it - only to find mutilated German corpses amongst the warren of muddy tunnels. When one of them is found horribly murdered, wrapped in barbed wire, they know they are not alone. Charlie Shakespeare (Jamie Bell), an underage company member, can see that they are being given choices that could lead to their survival or final demise.