World War I was hell, anyone who knows about it will agree with that, and the name will spark images of muddy battlefields, trenches, and conditions that were like hell on earth. But, the war was more than just those kinds of battles, and The Last Front, despite the name, takes a look at some of the earlier confrontations in that war through the eyes of a widowed farmer thrust into a position where he has to lead a resistance force against a cruel invader.
Iain Glenn stars as Leonard Lambert, a Belgian farmer and father of two young adult children, daughter Johanna (Emma Dupont), and son Adrien (James Dowie). Leonard spends most of his time managing his small farmstead, and occasionally having to deal with the budding romance between his son and the daughter of a local doctor, and how their different social classes makes their young love forbidden to their parents. It's a simple life, one that is broken when a group of German soldiers arrive in the village, seeking to take whatever supplies they need, no matter what they must do to take them.
The Germans are led by Lt. Laurentz (Joe Anderson), a particularly twisted and cruel individual. The first time we meet Laurentz and his men they're travelling through a small town when a panicked inhabitants takes a shot at them. This results in every home being raided, and civilians being dragged out into the streets for execution, no matter who they are. Larentz is a villain, pure and simple, with no shades of grey to be found. As such, when he descends on Leonard's community the residents are faced with few choices, die, run, or fight. Despite not wanting to fight, and wanting to take a peaceful way through life, Leonard soon finds the leadership role of the fledgling resistance force thrust upon him.
Iain Glenn has a great energy to him that really seems to suit the role he's playing in The Last Front. He has a weariness and quiet, gentle way of speaking that you feel like he's a man who's seen a lot of the world and has grown wise from it. He's kindly, and projects a lot of warmth, yet is also able to switch that off and become a fierce fighter. It's many of the qualities that he brought to his character across eight seasons of Game of Thrones, and so those that might be checking out The Last Front because they recognise Glenn from there will likely feel very comfortable with his performance here.
And Glenn isn't alone in delivering a great performance, as the film seems to go out of its way to put some great talent on the screen. Joe Anderson is superb as the monstrous Laurentz, a character who's so one dimensionally evil that in some ways he feels like a bit of a throwback to older movies where filmmakers didn't necessarily want much nuance to their antagonists. Despite this, he's still a great character, largely because he's so despicably nasty that you don't really care that he's a bit of a caricature and you just want to see him get what's coming to him. Anderson makes you hate his character, and keeps ramping up your disgust for him; which is exactly what you need in a film like this.
The rest of the supporting cast do decent jobs too, and whilst none of them stand out on screen as much as the two leads they all deliver solid performances. The younger cast bring a lot of passion, especially the two young lovers desperate to defy their parents and the class system they're born into. It is very noticeable that a film about Belgium and German characters is populated by British actors, and there are some times when things feel very British, one character yelling 'oy!' like he's down the pub for example, but after a whilst you get lost in the characters and their stories and forget about the slightly off accents.
The Last Front is the first film from director Julien Hayet-Kerknawi, but it doesn't feel like he's stumbling around to find his style, or that he doesn't understand the filmmaking process as some early directors do from time to time. The film is very well shot, and the production values are very impressive for what is a fairly small production. The film looks great on the screen, and the night scenes, illuminated by the flaming torches the characters are carrying with them, really pop and impress.
Someone looking for a more nuanced film, one that presents the idea that people on both sides of World War I were humans, with complexities, motivations we can perhaps understand, and morals skewed by their governments will likely be a bit confused by the way that The Last Front does things, as it takes a much older approach to war movies by making the villains truly evil and the heroes morally good. It's a simple period action affair, but one that presents itself with great charm and care to deliver a decent product that you can't help but enjoy it.
The Last Front is available in UK cinemas from 1st November.
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