It’s 1916, and teenager Jim Collins (Levi Miller, Pan, A Wrinkle in Time) works on his father’s farm in he Outback of Western Australia, wrangling sheep and riding horses. However, chasing sheep in the desert doesn’t really give him a sense of purpose in his life, and he wants to do more. The world is at war, and Jim decides to enlist along with friends Don (Ed Oxenbould, Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day) and Legs (Jason Burch), but this doesn’t sit well with his father, who’s already struggling to keep the family farm afloat, and can’t afford to hire replacement staff.

Jim believes he’s only going to be gone for 6 months, but he’s soon shocked by the harsh conditions and realities of war as he’s deployed to Somme, France as part of the 44th battalion, and finds himself on the front lines of the war—from constantly rainy and muddy conditions, to witnessing many of his friends and fellow soldiers killed. However, Jim tries to remain brave and confident and keep his morals. He is ever the hero, volunteering for dangerous assignments, and rushing to help soldiers in need. Though he’s still an inexperienced young soldier, and sometimes his actions result in unfortunate consequences, getting other soldiers killed. This leads to a particularly tense relationship with Private Thomas Nickels (Travis Jeffery, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), who blames Jim for leaving his brother behind. Now Jim is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen again, and over the course of the war, a comradery and brotherhood forms between these soldiers as they experience this hell in the trenches together, hoping that the war will come to an end soon and they can all go home.

I was shocked to discover that Before Dawn was an independent film, because it has the look and and feel of a big blockbuster war movie. While the film is based on real events, the specific story it tells of this battalion of young soldiers on the Western Front is made up. While it feels like a big war movie in some respects, the film also feels quite intimate, taking the viewer into the trenches with these soldiers and experiencing the brutality of trench warfare from their POV. We follow Jim’s journey as he starts off as a young, inexperienced soldier who is eager to do his duty, but sometimes his actions have unforeseen consequences. However, Jim doesn’t let this deter him, and he starts to grow more confident in his abilities. On the farm, he earned the nickname “crackshot”, and he’s eventually able to showcase this ability to help his battalion. We also hear Jim’s narration throughout the film, as he often tells the audience “if only he had listened” and not joined the war effort. He wasn’t expecting the experience to be so brutal and lifechanging.

The filmmakers do an excellent job of building the tension. There are several scenes where we see the young solders approaching the Fritz, trying to take out the enemy, and you find yourself holding your breath along with these young men. The use of tight, quick camera shots during the more action-packed sequences helps add to the excitement and tension. This is a real war, and there is a lot of death. The film doesn’t shy away from this, and several characters we get to know and love don’t make it. At the same time, the film also mixes in some humor to keep the movie from getting too tense or depressing. There is this great comradery that forms among the soldiers, and they have this fun relationship with their commanding officer, Sgt Beaufort (Myles Pollard, Home and Away). He’s an experienced solider and knows what these young men are going through, so he often looks the other way when they get up to mischievous antics, with a knowing smirk or smile, and lets them deal with the consequences when his commanding officer reprimands them.

Overall, the film is quite the entertaining journey, finding the perfect blend of drama, humor, action and tension, taking the viewer on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.

Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing. The colors are rich, whether it’s the nighttime battlefield lit by red flares in the sky, or the tan and green tones of the mud-soaked trenches and battlefield. Even when it’s pouring rain, or in the darker sequences, the level of detail and clarity remains strong. The filmmakers make use of both tight shots on the soldiers in the trenches to raise the tension and excitement, but also some beautiful cinematic wide shots of the skyline to show the soldiers on the battlefield, and convey the scale of the war. The audio presentation is quite immersive, with the explosive sounds of mortars and gunfire coming from every direction. You really feel like you are down in the trenches with these young soldiers. At the same time, dialogue remains clear throughout.

In addition to the usual trailer and previews, Well Go’s Blu-ray release also includes about 7 minutes of short behind-the-scenes promotional featurettes with the cast/crew. The Blu-ray disc comes packed in a locking HD keepcase. There is no digital copy, but our review copy did include a nice cardboard slipcover.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:40:58)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
• Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo
• Subtitles: English SDH, French

Extras:

• Behind The Scenes
  Collection of short promotional featurettes featuring behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with the cast/crew. Participants include director/writer/producer Jordon Prince-Wright, and actors Travis Jeffery (“Thomas Nickels”), Jordan Dulieu (“Ned Wright”), Levi Miller (“Jim Collins”), Myles Pollard (“Sgt Beaufort”), Ed Oxenbould (“Don”) & Tim Franklin (“Big Tooth”). Select From:
  • ANZAC (1:41)
    Their personal connections to the war, and what it was like working on the movie.
  • Authenticity (:55)
    Keeping the film authentic.
  • The Director (1:01)
    Working with the director.
  • In Production (1:29)
    The scale and scope of the film.
  • The Set (:55)
    Building sets to scale on a farm in Western Australia.
  • The Story (:53)
    How the film is based on diaries from various ANSACs.
• Trailer (2:07)
• Previews
  • Ride (2:19)
  • Sting (2:20)
  • The Last Stop in Yuma County (2:13)

Final Thoughts:

Before Dawn is an entertaining war movie that follows the motional journey of a battalion of young soldiers engulfed in trench warfare on the front lines of the Western Front during the first World War. While the film has some big explosive set pieces, it also tells a more intimate tale from the POV of one soldier from Western Australia. This may be an independent film, but it looks and feels more like a big budget studio piece, with some impressive sets and a cinematic look and feel. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds amazing, and includes a small selection of behind-the-scenes bonus material. This is an easy recommendation for fans of war dramas.