Passchendaele - Movie Review

Passchendaele is a 2008 Canadian Film that recounts the horrors of World War I in a bloody battle for Passchendaele. The battle brings together three unlikely characters into the fog of war.

Michael Dunn (played by the Director/Writer, Paul Gross) is a Canadian soldier. He finishes his World War I tour of duty as the only surviving soldier in his platoon. Dunn carries the secret burden of war with him on his return to Canada. Because of his heroism, he receives a medical clearance that does not allow him to return to the front. Instead, he is to serve at the recruiting office under the watchful eye of a vindictive Major (Brian Jensen).

Dunn falls in love with one of the nurses who took care of him while he was in the hospital. It takes him months to learn her name is Sarah (Caroline Dhavernas). Sarah has a younger brother, David (Joe Dinicol), who is duped into joining the Army by his girlfriend's father. In order to protect the boy, Dunn falsifies his documents to return to the front. His leadership under fire puts him in an un-winnable position to try and repel a German force at the town of Passchendaele, while the majority of his brigade is in retreat. Sarah, concerned for both Dunn and her brother, volunteers for the medical corps and ends up in the field hospital that supports their unit. This unlikely series of events set up the far-fetched conclusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed the visual aspects of Passchendaele, which had incredible cinematic appeal. However, I struggled with the writing. Several of the characters were flat, the story was predictable and, at times, far fetched. The dialogue was okay, but nothing special. The plot felt horribly contrived, making the story seem stretched too thin for my taste. If not for the visual qualities of this film, I probably would not recommend it.

I don't know which way to go with Paul Gross. His script left a lot to be desired, but he also Directed and took the lead role. So I would give him two out of three. The film looked great, and his performance was solid. His character had the most development, which still was not the best I have seen. But the acting was good. I really liked Dhavernas and would have enjoyed seeing her character a bit more deeply. Dinicol did an excellent job with a predictable, flat character. The casting was strong enough to make this film worthwhile, in spite of some flaws in the script.

Passchendaele was not rated by the MPAA. I am sure they would have given the film an R rating for violence. The film does not have a lot of sexuality, but there are two sex scenes with a limited amount of nudity. The war scenes were intense and well choreographed. The violence was bloody and hectic. Gross did an excellent job of creating havoc in the war scenes, which will likely upset younger viewers. However, the violence would be tolerable to the average teen audience. The sexuality was tasteful and not overdone, so it is a judgment call. I would say thirteen and above.

The visual appeal of Passchendaele was the best quality of this film. The film lagged at times, almost brooding. The characters could have been better with the benefit of some additional development. The plot was a stretch, but may have made more sense if developed more carefully. The film takes a long time to set up a rather brief series of scenes, which felt like wasted time. The casting was strong enough to make the cinematography worthwhile. The script could have used some reworking. However, this film was nominated (and won) several Canadian film awards, so who am I to say? I would give Passchendaele a mild recommendation. 6.5/10.