1917 - A group of civilian tunnellers, led by William Hawkin, a man determined to 'do his bit', are recruited to carry out an audacious plan to break a stalemate in the Battle of Messines.
After reaching an impasse in which the British army have lost thousands of men, Captain John 'Hellfire Jack' Norton-Griffith conceives a plan to dig tunnels under the enemies positions and blow them up from below.
He goes to a tunnelling company in the North-East of England and, against the company owner's wishes, recruits men who have the expertise to carry out the job. These are men whose health has been deemed to poor to take part in active service or who are too young - in reality, some of the Royal Engineering Tunnelling Company, as they came to be known (popularly referred to as the Clay Kickers), were as young as fourteen.
The War Below is the feature length debut of director J. P. Watts, who also wrote the screen play. The real-life 'Hellfire Jack' is played by Tom Goodman-Hill and William Hawkin is played by Sam Hazeldine.
Watt's lack of experience shows in a film that never delivers the sort of emotional punch that a tale like this needs, although the obviously tight budget can't have helped to expand the story. The Clay Kickers, who in reality numbered in their thousands and consisted of British, Canadian and Australian miners, are reduced to just four men here, which somewhat undermines the film's credibility. However, cinematographer Nick Cooke does an admirable job of creating a convincing atmosphere with what's available.
At times it seems as though the cast struggle with a script that too often sounds stilted, and a disappointing number of the expected, standard characters are present - the high-minded, unfeeling commanding officer, the fierce sergeant who, beneath the formidable exterior, is a compassionate man on the side of his men rather than those in command, etc.
Goodman-Hill, a fine character actor and whose comedy work is to be admired, fails to breathe real life into Cpt. Norton-Griffiths, and certainly doesn't give us any understanding of why his character earned the moniker 'Helfire Jack'. Only Sam Hazeldine's performance stands out, portraying Hawkin as a warm, compassionate man with great personal strength.
Watts has made a film that is earnest in its endeavours, but which simply doesn't convey the powerful reality behind this story or fully illustrate the harsh conditions, the arduous work and the emotional toll on the men involved.
Those who are interested in the subject matter would do much better to watch the superior Beneath Hill 60 (2010) directed by Jeremy Sims. This tells the story of the 1st Australian Mining Company who were part of the tunnelling project at Messines.
The War Below, despite its best endeavours, earns just six stars from me.
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