The Trench

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The Trench

Released Nov 22, 2000

1h 38m

War

History

Drama

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4 Reviews

41%

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1,000+ Ratings

On the eve of a massive battle with the Germans, Sgt. Telford Winter oversees a company of British soldiers too young and naive to be properly terrified of their coming mission. Prominent among the recruits is Billy Macfarlane, a patriotic teenager who struggles to reconcile his homesickness with his sense of duty. Meanwhile, their commanding officer, Lt. Ellis Harte, squirrels himself away in his tent sipping brandy and reading poetry.

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Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

atmospheric and uneven

Rated: 3/5

Jul 11, 2004

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Chuck Rudolph

Matinee Magazine

Loaded with soggy, overused war movie cliches.

Rated: 1/5

Jul 27, 2002

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Jason Clark

Matinee Magazine

Rated: C-

Feb 4, 2002

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Ian Mantgani

UK Critic

Rated: 6/10

Jan 1, 2000

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Daniel O

Decent movie about soldering on the eve of the most disastrous British offensive of the War to end all wars (It ended nothing) with young recruits who never saw action. The only thing missing from the the trenches was the worst three things that made their lives miserable was the Rats, the Lice, and the muddy conditions that caused more casualties than (with Trench Foot). If they depicted this in these elements I would rate it higher.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/25

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Edward F

I expected more from this movie. It was boring, and the ending was very anticlimactic.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/19/24

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Maya W

Great production. It's certainly not the usual family entertainment (unless you're interested in the topic) but the film is very unique and believable. It allows you to understand the situation the characters are in and unlike a lot of war movies, it neither feels exaggerated nor played down. I thought it was a very good movie.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/18/24

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Peter H

Hard to believe with an actor like Craig and a setting like the Somme, a movie could be so boring. It is hard to feel anything for the characters.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/14/23

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Mike W

The movie gave a harrowing depiction of WW I fear and misery, but it's storyline was too predictable.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

06/08/23

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Edward K

Slow and boring, even with Daniel Craig and Cillian Murphy. Lack of plot, no character development.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/09/23

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William Boyd

Director

Paul Nicholls

Pte. Billy Macfarlane

Daniel Craig

Sgt. Telford Winter

Julian Rhind-Tutt

2nd Lt. Ellis Harte

Danny Dyer

Lance Cpl. Victor Dell

James D'Arcy

Pte. Colin Daventry

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Synopsis

On the eve of a massive battle with the Germans, Sgt. Telford Winter oversees a company of British soldiers too young and naive to be properly terrified of their coming mission. Prominent among the recruits is Billy Macfarlane, a patriotic teenager who struggles to reconcile his homesickness with his sense of duty. Meanwhile, their commanding officer, Lt. Ellis Harte, squirrels himself away in his tent sipping brandy and reading poetry.

Director: William Boyd
Producer: Steve Clark-Hall
Distributor: Somme Productions, Entertainment International Pictures
Production Co: Bonaparte Films Ltd., Le Studio Canal +, Blue PM, Arts Council of England
Genre: War, History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 22, 2000, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 8, 2019
Runtime: 1h 38m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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