1917 Review: 9 Ups & 1 Down

By Jack Pooley / January 10, 2020

4. Thomas Newman's Incredible Musical Score

Universal

This is composer Thomas Newman's seventh time collaborating with Sam Mendes, and the result is one the very best musical scores of his widely celebrated career.

Though it's fair to say that Newman's pulsing work here feels inspired by Hans Zimmer's iconic score for Dunkirk - especially by using a ticking sound as an urgent motif - it stands on its own as a beautifully operatic compliment to the gorgeous visuals.

The climactic track "Sixteen Hundred Men" proves especially stirring during by far the most emotionally evocative and intensely epic moment of the film, and there's absolutely no chance Newman isn't nominated for the Best Original Score Oscar.

Above all else, it's sure to rank among the very best musical scores of any war movie ever.