Callum Burn's first world war drama Landship, based loosely on a true story, confines almost all its action inside a tank nicknamed the Fray Bentos after the tinned meat. The budget-saving stratagem means whenever soldiers venture outside, it is night-time or shrouded in thick smoke and fog, obscuring German soldiers behind mud hillocks.
Gloom makes characters hard to distinguish
The murky visuals make it difficult to tell the noble British soldiers apart. Over time, viewers can identify officers by their tidy moustaches and posh accents, while clean-shaven privates speak with working-class tones. Captain Richardson (Vin Hawke) is determined to push on with their mission to fire on the enemy until the tank gets stuck. He then insists on waiting for a carrier pigeon to summon infantry rescue.
Tension builds as days pass
Days drag on, and the men grow restless, especially Morrey (Jack Sherlock), whose mutterings turn mutinous. The film keeps tension alive, but the retro style edges close to comedy without gags. Director Burn, co-writing with his father Andrew Burn, improves on his previous second world war films Lancaster Skies, Spitfire Over Berlin, and Battle Over Britain, drawing solid emotion from the cast.
According to the review, the whole thing feels stolidly retro. Landship is in UK cinemas from 26 June. A correction notes that Fray Bentos in the first world war referred to tinned meat like corned beef, not pies, which started in the late 1950s.
