{"id":514183,"date":"2026-04-05T12:21:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/514183\/"},"modified":"2026-04-05T12:21:14","modified_gmt":"2026-04-05T12:21:14","slug":"emotionally-wrenching-war-film-with-5-stars-and-a-list-cast-streaming-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/514183\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Emotionally wrenching’ war film with 5 stars and A-list cast streaming now"},"content":{"rendered":"

The British World War 1 film starring Sam Claflin, Asa Butterfield and Paul Bettany premiered in 2017 and is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video with a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes\"Two<\/p>\n

Sam Claflin and Stephen Graham in Journey’s End(Image: (Image: Publicity Picture))<\/p>\n

Journey’s End is a British war film, based on the 1928 stage production of the same title by writer RC Sherriff.<\/p>\n

After sustaining serious injuries in 1917 while serving in the military, Sherriff relied on his own trench warfare experiences to write the play.<\/p>\n

The film, which can be watched on Amazon Prime<\/a> Video, first debuted on 8 September 2017, though it received a broader cinema release in spring 2018 – coinciding with the hundredth anniversary of the German Spring Offensive, the military operations which underpin the storyline.<\/p>\n

Directed by Saul Dibb and scripted by Simon Reade – who brought in numerous fresh characters for the film version – Journey’s End achieved a modest global box office figure of $970,809.<\/p>\n

Despite this, it received considerable acclaim from reviewers, securing a 91 per cent rating on the review platform Rotten Tomatoes.<\/p>\n

The film delivers a stark portrayal of the period preceding Operation Michael, the opening stage of the German Spring Offensive aimed at British forces.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The film has won high praise(Image: (Image: Publicity Picture))<\/p>\n

It gives audiences an intimate perspective of the offensives that devastated the Western Front and the mental anguish endured by those serving in the combat zones.<\/p>\n

Starring Asa Butterfield, Sam Claflin, Paul Bettany, Toby Jones, Stephen Graham, and Tom Sturridge, Journey’s End centres on a group of British servicemen commanded by Captain Stanhope (Claflin) – a profoundly troubled young commander struggling with the mental toll of prolonged combat.<\/p>\n

The young soldier’s ordeal becomes more intense with the arrival of Lieutenant Raleigh (Butterfield). The eager but inexperienced newcomer also happens to be the brother of his fianc\u00e9e and previously looked up to Stanhope.<\/p>\n

This forces Stanhope to face his own inner demons, leading to a profoundly moving performance on screen as he wrestles with the burdens placed upon him.<\/p>\n

‘Journey’s End’, through its unflinching examination of war’s futility, won over critics, with one calling it “a powerful and moving tribute to the men who fought in the trenches”.<\/p>\n

Another critic observed: “War is hell but we’ve seen that story before. Journey’s End manages to reaffirm the message in a tale that is both harrowing and heartbreaking.”<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Sam Claflin in Journey’s End(Image: (Image: Dumfries And Galloway Standard))<\/p>\n

One reviewer was especially taken with the performances, stating: “The actors are superb at impressing some humanity onto this ugliness.”<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, another critic heaped praise on the affecting portrayal of combat: “This taut, emotionally wrenching snapshot of both the mythologies and grim realities of war possesses useful reminders about self-deception and abuse of power, especially at a time when bellicose rhetoric and war cabinets seem to be the order of the day.”<\/p>\n

The director also received acclaim, with one review highlighting: “Saul Dibb’s World War 1<\/a> tale of British soldiers in the trenches is a bleak, sobering experience that puts audiences through a wringer. It’s also an emotional powerhouse you will not forget.”<\/p>\n

Audience responses were just as enthusiastic, with one person saying: “Such a tragic end It had a profound effect on me! Making me study operation Micheal in great detail. 5 star film.”<\/p>\n

Another emotional review from a viewer stated: “A beautiful film, focuses more on the interactions between the different officers, their psychological state and each one’s reaction to their situation. A well crafted homage so the memories of the ones who have suffered so much will not be forgotten, from the writer of the original play as well as to his comrades.”<\/p>\n

One person branded Journey’s End as a “riveting movie” featuring “superb acting”, even describing it as “one of the best antiwar movies that I have seen”. Meanwhile, a different review noted: “Superb study of PTSD and the massacre and hopelessness of war. Best adaptation of a play I can think of. Much of it relies on the excellent acting and close ups. So hard to see how this could work on stage.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The British World War 1 film starring Sam Claflin, Asa Butterfield and Paul Bettany premiered in 2017 and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":514184,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[3244,96,2839,56,54,55,15545],"class_list":{"0":"post-514183","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-movies","8":"tag-amazon-prime-video","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-movies","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-unitedkingdom","14":"tag-world-war-1"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=514183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/514183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/514184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=514183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=514183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=514183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}