A riveting and widely acclaimed war film is available to watch for free on BBC iPlayer for a limited time. The Oscar and BAFTA-winning film breathlessly follows a pair of young British soldiers as they race deep into enemy territory to deliver a message that would call off a doomed attack and save over a thousand lives.

If that sounds familiar, you’ll know the picture in question is director Sir Sam Mendes’ war epic, 1917. Seemingly filmed in a single shot, the World War 1 movie is a uniquely immersive and heart-thrumming viewing experience that takes the audience along every step of a perilous mission through trenches and no man’s land. Though it takes over the course of a day, 1917 has gripped audiences for the remarkable way it captures the reality of war.

What 1917 is about

The film opens on April 6 in the year of (no surprise) 1917. The Allied forces realise they are being lured into a deadly trap.

Aerial reconnaissance has revealed that the German army is making a strategic withdrawal from the Western Front.

Under the mistaken belief the Germans are retreating, a British battalion scheduled to attack them the next morning will actually be ambushed.

With field telephones cut and no other way to warn their doomed comrades, two young soldiers, Lance Corporals Will Schofield and Tom Blake (played by George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman), are called to deliver a crucial message.

Under the orders of General Erinmore (Colin Firth), they must enter enemy territory to find the troop of 1,600 men — including Blake’s brother (Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden) — and call off the attack.

Was 1917 filmed in one shot?

The film’s cinematography is one of the most memorable aspects of 1917. Cinematographer Roger Deakins used movie magic to make the two-hour war epic feel like it all happens in one take.

The seamless transitions were achieved using explosions, passing soldiers, and objects that obscure the camera. The film’s longest take is the eight-and-a-half minute opening scene.

Is 1917 a true story?

Though the story is fictional, it was inspired by Mendes’ grandfather’s war stories.

The director told Radio 1: “There was one particular story he told us about carrying a message across no man’s land alone at dusk. I couldn’t let go of that one image. I thought: What if we develop that into a single journey of more epic proportions?”

What the reviews say

The reception to 1917 was generally favourable. Critics praised the war epic’s immersive quality, taut story, and technical achievements.

Its Rotten Tomatoes approval score is 88%. The website’s critics consensus based on over 400 reviews reads: “Hard-hitting, immersive, and an impressive technical achievement, 1917 captures the trench warfare of World War I with raw, startling immediacy.”

It won Best Film, Best Director and Outstanding British film at the BAFTAs and Oscars for Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Visual Effects.

Rolling Stone called it “one of the best war films of all time” whilst the Observer compared it to a classic film of the genre: “Every war is hell, no matter when it was fought, but 1917, which is about a war far removed from contemporary reality, turns out to the best war picture since Saving Private Ryan.”

The movie appeals to people who don’t like the genre, wrote film critic Candice McMillan: “Sam Mendes’ quiet WWI epic 1917 is a cinematic masterpiece, a near perfect war film that appeals to even those of us who don’t particularly enjoy war movies.”

An audience reviewer on Rotten Tomatoes simply wrote: “A masterpiece of cinema.”

But not everyone’s a fan. While 1917 might be some people’s favourite war movie, critics have called the film gimmicky and its characters and story one-dimensional.

1917 is available to watch for free on BBC iPlayer for one month.