The War Below (2021) - full transcript

September 1915.

The Great War. Supposed to end
before Christmas, the carnage drags on.

In the United Kingdom, able-bodied men
enlist to fulfill their duty.

Those who refuse to commit
are given a white feather,

a symbol of cowardice and treachery.

[stopwatch ticking]

[bright music]

[crowd chattering]

Morning Standard!
Get your Morning Standard!

Morning standard!
Get your Morning Standard.

Excuse me, sorry.



Dad! Dad!

- Henry, what are you doing here?
- My bit. Same as you.

There's a good lad. Come here.

Britain's finest.

In you come.

[intense music]

[officer] As you pass
me get your hats off!

Come on you cultural
cul de sacs.

Hurry up, the King's waiting and
he's paying for your medical.

Get a move on! Come on!
Hurry it up!

Medicals are waiting. The King
is paying for your time!

Move it out!

[air pumping]

L... D... X.



THE WAR BELOW

[doctor]
Next!

Nice deep breaths, huh?

- Occupation.
- Accountant.

- For how many years?
- Man and boy.

I see.

Your lungs have a definite crackle, which
I'd suggest comes from inhaling too much

pencil dust over time.

Furthermore, there is an irregularity in
your heartbeat, genetic in all probability.

But I'm guessing that these
things you already know

and that this isn't
your first time applying.

I can do it, sir.
I just want to do my bit.

I'd say you already are doing
your bit, wouldn't you?

Those at the bottom can do just
as much as those at the top.

The war office deems it necessary
that every man fits a set of criteria,

and I must abide by those rules.

- There's no shame in it.
- I understand that, sir.

- But all I'm asking is for the same chances.
- Next.

- Age.
- 25.

- [officer] I promise to obey the authority.
- [repeating]

- Of all generals and officers set over me.
- [repeating]

- And serve until the conclusion of war.
- [repeating]

- God save the King.
- [repeating]

- [Henry] Dad!
- Well, spit it out.

Yeah, they said I could go.

No, you keep it.

You're a man now.

Here, take this!
The phone line's out!

Communications 113. Utmost
importance! Do you understand?

- They're opening up again, sir!
- Go! Now!

And Private, tell the...

[soldiers cheering]

Keep going. Move.

[soldiers yelling]

Stretcher bearer!

There's more coming!

[loud explosion]

[muffled explosions]

[explosions]

Hold off positions
for counter-attack.

[guns firing]

- What are you doing here, private?
- Message from position 23, sir.

HQ! Position two-nine-nine.

The infantry have failed
to break the forward line.

The German trenches have not been taken.
Repeat, the German trenches

have not been taken.

- Number of casualties?
- 40,000 estimated.

[Haig]
How can that be?

Seven days, seven days,

We threw everything
at their lines.

- How many shells?
- 1,500,000, sir.

1,500,000.

And yet you sit there and tell
me it didn't even make a dent.

Initial reports are the Germans
dug their bunkers

20 or maybe 30 feet
below ground cover.

With respect, sir,
at that depth,

all the artillery in the world
wouldn't reach them.

- So it would seem.
- The plans are in place to pull back the line...

- And lose ground. No.
- Sir.

We shall not give our
enemies one foot of soil.

Is that understood?

To do so, gentlemen, would be
to give them belief.

And belief is one of the most
important aspects in war,

belief in duty,
belief in one's own ability.

- Belief in victory.
- General, we cannot sustain the line indefinitely.

- We need...
- A decisive next attack.

I agree, sir.

The Germans know the British
are the best army in the world.

Their morale will surely
dip with more sustained attacks.

- Sir, if I may.
- If you must, Jack.

We need to be decisive,
that much is correct.

But to break the German line we need to
do something new, something different,

something the hun
will never see coming.

And you'd have such a thing...
would you?

Yes, sir. I believe I do.

Merton & Fils Company,
tunnel and gallery construction, England

His Lordship's
waiting for you, sir.

[knocks on door]

Thank you.

My answer is respectfully, no.

You do realize what losing these men would
do to my production levels, don't you?

Well, you can see from your remittance,
you'll be fairly compensated.

Maybe I should decide
what you consider fair.

- Understand, this is an important time of year for us.
- Indeed.

Important time
of year for Britain.

Don't pull that king's
officer rubbish with me.

We're all doing our bit.

So until there's a better offer,

I'm a busy man.

You know,
you're absolutely right.

We're all doing our bit.

Boys on the front line,
the men and women in the forges and mills.

And... whatever it is
you do exactly.

You know, there's one thing I despise
more than the enemy, Mr. Rogers.

It's those who climb on the backs of
the fallen and claim to be patriots.

I seem to remember
a few months ago,

pompous jumped up little man
in charge of his own fiefdom.

He thought he was above the war
so we decided to give him a closer

look at it.

If you catch my drift.

So it's a good job.

There's people such as yourself

who understand that the British
need to pull together

- in their time of need.
- Quite.

So I'm going to respectfully
request that you give your country

what it bloody well asks of you.

[manager] Once the paperwork is signed,
our office will ensure the receipt

in a couple of weeks. Anything that's
still unclear... [unintelligible]

I understand that this is somewhat irregular,
but I have some matters of great importance

to discuss with you.

I'm sorry, would you mind?

That's more like it.

Don't let the papers
fool you, gentlemen.

We are losing this war.

And unless we take dramatic
action, I'm afraid we will forfeit.

Look, That pinstripe pillock's
probably docking our pay for this.

So can you just get on with it?

All right...
your country needs you.

- [all chuckle]
- All right.

[banging on table]

[light dramatic music]

While you enjoyed those few
seconds laughing, one of our boys

was hit in the head
by a Fritz sniper.

Somebody's father was pulverized
by a mortar bomb.

And someone, perhaps a friend of yours,
had his guts ripped open by shrapnel.

I enjoy a joke as much as the next
man, gentlemen, but if I may...

...I would like to share with
you the situation we are in.

Gather around.

This is the Somme.

These markers here are the Allied lines.
This, the German front.

Now, the Germans have built
bunkers 30 feet below ground level,

and we've thrown everything
we've got at them and nothing,

for it's as likely
to be injured slipping on

sauerkraut is he is
from one of our bombs.

And of course
when the bombardment ends,

up he pops, starts using
our boys for target practice.

Morale in France is at rock bottom,
and with our new campaign in Flanders,

we need a decisive victory,
something that will show our chaps

this war is
still there to be won.

Sorry, Bob, still don't see
what this has to do with us.

With these deep hidey holes,
Fritz is a tough nut to crack from above.

- But there is one other option.
- Dig.

Precisely.

We're going to tunnel
under no man's land.

Blow the enemy to Kingdom Come.

Our initial target
is this forward bunker here,

obstinate little bastard hell-bent
on slaughtering our boys.

With our first tunnels,
we've been unsuccessful.

They barely last
a day without collapsing.

What's ground made from?

Clay.

Quite frankly,
we don't have the expertise.

But you men do, there's
a platoon waiting in Salisbury.

Your job is to teach them
how to tunnel the clay

and how to set the charges.

So, um... how long we got, sir?

- One month.
- Jesus Christ.

And then the platoon has another
three to get the job done in France.

- No.
- Well, I'm sorry, but that's all the time we have.

I know they won't
get the job done.

- What's your name?
- William Hawkin, sir.

Well then Mr. Hawkin...

...if you've something to say,
now's the time.

Well, I've not met that many
clerks or bank managers in me time,

but I doubt any of them
can tunnel that fast.

With the constant risk of collapse,
and come out the other end,

we've been
tunneling all our lives,

there's still always risk.

No. You want
your big explosions, sir,

you should think again.

Very well, what do you propose?

I propose we go in that place.

- Are you prepared to do that?
- [both] I.

Good lads,
I'll take this to General Haig.

We'll get you
to Flanders in no time.

[William]
Thank you, sir.

Well, you better
get back to work.

[Haig]
Preposterous!

Sir, if you would just
allow me to explain.

Something the Germans
wouldn't see coming.

I didn't realize that meant putting
our war effort into the hands

of uneducated,
untrained civilians.

These men may not
be soldier material.

I grant you that, sir,

but they don't have to be,
they just have to dig.

And by Jove can they dig.
Why, only last year...

Burrow through to Australia
for all I care.

This is a military operation, Jack,
not some... some social experiment.

If it goes belly up,
the whole war effort is over.

- Do you understand that?
- I must confess, I too had my reservation.

[Haig]
The infantry will break through.

We just need to keep
pushing, pushing, pushing.

- But at what cost, sir?
- A war of nations is a war of numbers.

We have the numbers
and we will outlast the Germans.

That's how we win.

The answer is no.

- You're dismissed, Colonel.
- With the greatest respect, sir,

this is no longer
the age of the horse.

This is the age of the tank.

The old ways are dead
and we must change, and quickly,

or we'll have
another song on our hands,

and the stench of blood will
reach all the way to England.

Lloyd George won't stand for
that, General. Heads will roll.

You have a very promising
career ahead of you, Colonel.

- Think very carefully.
- I already have, sir.

This is our best
and only option, I assure you.

You'd personally vouch
for these sewer workers...

...would you?

Yes, sir, I would. And if
they're not up to the job,

strip me of my commission and send me to the
front line, but just give me 4 months, sir.

You'll have
all the proof you need.

Very well, two months
and not a moment more.

- Sir, may I just say...
- Decision has been made, Archie.

Jack and his men will
fall under your command.

- Then I would like it on record...
- Duly noted.

Thank you
for your assistance, both.

Keep me posted.

And Jack, for God's sake,
don't bugger it up,

Sir.

[light dramatic music]

If you want to bring these
cave dwellers to the front,

then on your own head be it that you
keep them on course, keep them in line.

And keep them out of my way.

- Understand?
- Perfectly, sir.

[scoffs]

Two months,
that's all it'll take.

One bullet is all it will take.

You're going to miss
Mother's birthday.

She can go with me to scare
the boche half to death.

Jane...

...it's my duty
and responsibility.

Responsibility is
to be here with your family.

Why you? Don't they have miners
over there or something?

It's not as simple as that,
they need people who can dig the clay.

They called us experts,
they did.

I'll be useful for once.

No more putting up with old Rogers
when I get back, I can tell you.

The army will probably give me a new
job, a proper job. And the money...

You're a bloody fool at times.

There's no shame in doing
what you do, a clueless busybody

- with a white feather doesn't know a damn thing about you.
- Jane!

[light dramatic music]

I'm not doing this blindly.

Everything I care about
is in this house.

And I'm protecting this house.

I can't bear to think
what would happen if I didn't.

I'll make you proud of me.

I promise.

It seems like every week I know
another wife with a brave,

dead husband
that she can be proud of.

- [sighs]
- No, I'll go.

How's the infantry doing?

Do you need a hand with that?

Are you coming back?

Of course I am.

what makes you say that?

Uncle David didn't.

It's not the same, son.

Uncle David
was made to do something

he hadn't done before,
and it went wrong.

He was unlucky.

That's not like me. I'm going
there to dig, that's all.

- Just dig.
- You're good at digging?

Aye, I am. So you see,
there's no need to worry.

I can't get it to stay.

Well, let's see what
we can do about that, shall we?

Are you going to ride a horsey?

No, I'll be in a special unit,
top-secret.

I'll have my own uniform
and everything.

- You can wear it if you like.
- Any medals?

Loads of them. By the time I come home
I'll be half man, half tea kettle.

[both chuckle]

There you go.

All done.

[train chugging]

[train whistling]

Flanders, 1916

[gunfire]

Nice and easy, boys,
come on, get on.

Move along.

[distant gunfire]

Excuse us, pal,
we just got here.

All right,
good for for you. And?

We have no sodding idea
where we're going.

You got papers?

[loud explosions]

Ah! You're with
Hellfire Jack, yes?

- Who?
- Colonel Norton-Griffiths.

Up in section three.

[loud explosions]

Section three!

Come on, I'll show you boys.

Trench system is simple enough.

It's made out of three main lines: the
reserve, the support the firing line.

These are
the communication trenches.

They connect the lines.

This is the reserve.
Here you can rest up, relax.

Oh aye, looks very relaxing.

[guide] We're coming up
to the support line now.

Christ, what's that smell?

- Dirty bastard.
- Oh sod off.

It's a mixture of shit,
piss, cordite and decomposition.

Like no other, eh. Don't worry.

You get used to it
after a while.

[distant explosions]

Cheerio, chum.

[loud explosion]

The Fritz seem
a bit feisty this morning.

[William]
You all right, youth?

Don't worry.
You'll get used to it.

And here we are.

So this is the Great War.

[guide] All the water is chlorinated.
Tastes a bit strange at first.

Yeah. I know,
I'll get used to it.

[Hellfire] All right. Thank you, captain.
I'll take it from here.

Bill, glad you all made it.

- Yeah.
- I think some of them are starting to wish they hadn't.

Well, you're here now,
so let's crack on,

see if we can't get you
all back to Blighty.

Here, come look at this.

Hey, Harold,
I've got to go, you know.

Tie a bloody knot in it,
can you not hold it in?

Not unless you want me
to hold it in my trousers, no.

All right,
just be bloody quick then.

- Here, take a look, 12 o'clock.
- What are we looking at?

Not much to look at, is it?
But that's our lady nonetheless.

About 350 yards from where
we're standing right now.

Used to be a farmhouse,
now the boche are using it

as a forward machine gun post,
dug in deep underneath.

[flies buzzing]

- [soldier] Officer approaching!
- Now, look sharp.

Sir.

Jack.

So...

...this is your little
rabble then, is it?

They are indeed, sir.
My clay kickers.

[soldier] What in God's green
earth am I looking at here?

Get on your feet, boy! And you get
off that wall, stand still, stand up!

Wearing the King's uniform,
act like it.

Your village missing an idiot
and now you're here, is it?

Shut your mouth. The enemy will die
laughing before you can shoot them.

[gunfire]

[soldiers laughing]

Shit.

- Name.
- Hawkin. William Hawkin, sir.

And you'd be in charge of this,
this bunch then, would you, Hawkin?

- Yes, sir. I am, sir.
- Jolly good.

You shall be held accountable
for their actions then. Hmm?

Just keep them away
from the real soldiers, Jack.

We don't want the sideshow
to become a circus now.

- Sir, with respect.
- [soldier] Shut your mouth!

You don't speak till the officer
speaks to you, do you understand?

- Yes, sir.
- It's not "sir," it's "s'arnt."

- Yes, s'arnt.
- Sure it won't be a problem, sir?

Good show.

- Excuse me, mate.
- Mate? Mate?

I don't remember hanging about with you,
I don't remember going to school with you!

- Mate? I'm a s'arnt, say it!
- S'arnt.

- Say it louder!
- S'arnt.

You thing!

Once again, Jack,
excellent men you have here.

- Only the very best, sir.
- Hmm.

Some stupid bastard, thinks this lot
is going to hold up ten tonne of shite.

- I guess thinking wasn't needed at Eton.
- No.

32 degrees for the first 100,
minus ten up next.

- A lot of ground to cover.
- We better shift our asses then, hadn't we?

Wouldn't want to be on
a charge now, would we Harker?

You are our keeper,
O Lord, you are.

Oh, knock it off, lad, you think
he's listening out here?

It's a tradition.

Go on then, Saint George.

[exhales]

Deliver us from evil,
keep our souls.

Shorty.

[light dramatic music]

[William]
My dearest Jane...

...every time I write to you,

I fear my stories
are just a spinning carousel,

our life continues.

We dig the clay.

And the work can suck the life

from your bones
if you're not careful.

[light dramatic music]

The days when it's quiet,
I forget,

I think I'm just digging
a sewer tunnel back home.

I think I'm going
to end my day with you.

When we climb back up, I
remember what our home is now.

It's strange the things
you get used to,

the rats, the stench.

There are too many
things that I want to forget.

[low rumble]

My heart sinks that the other
men take us for cowards.

That we hide
from the fighting down here.

I want them to know what we do.

To see us as true soldiers.

But we are once again
on our own.

The war to end all wars, it is
what I believe we're here for.

So I shall do my part,
my duty...

...and then I'll come
home to you.

Take care of yourself
and our boy.

All my love forever.

William.

Been here two months.
Feel like I'm 60 odd.

[Charlie]
Could be worse.

- How's that then?
- I don't know.

Just what people say, isn't it.

Come on, lads.

Time's wasting.

[fire crackling]

[distant gunfire]

[gunfire]

Ah!

Fritz bastard goes
for me every damn day.

Who the hell wants to shoot someone
when they're on the crapper?

Anyone who knows you?

If it weren't him,
it'd be somebody else.

Don't take it personal, we'll be
out of this soon enough.

- How long have we got left anyway?
- 40, 45 yards to go.

Get these coordinates spot on.
Light it up, we'll be on our way.

[grunting]

And that's the 200.

All right. Dig out caverns,
set bombs, and job done.

[distant rumbling]

- Oh Jesus Christ.
- Keep sucking on it, it'll break up.

It's like them things that you give
babies, but made of concrete.

They're dog biscuits.

You what? These are not
bloody dog biscuits.

I've been eating these things
since I got here.

I'm telling you. Had staffies
since I was a nipper, so I know.

It's true, we did.
Nasty little buggers, they were.

They just had good taste is all.
And this is a dog biscuit.

[loud rumble]

Bloody hell. That were close.

- [loud rumble]
- That were close.

[suspenseful music]

[softly chuckling]

[muffled explosions]

[wood snapping]

Christ, it's going to break!

Brace the walls!

[music intensifies]

[Harold]
Shit!

[William]
Get back!

Move now!

[loud crash]

[coughing]

[miner]
Everyone all right?

- [coughing continues]
- George?

[George]
Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine.

[miner]
Charlie, you okay?

Charlie?

[Charlie]
No, I'm not.

It were too close this time.
Too bloody close.

Good job you were doing
all that praying, hey, Georgie.

Still alive, aren't you?

This is what you imagined
it would be like, Bill?

I don't know what I imagined.

Not for me.

I got a postcard
from Maggie this morning.

She said the Goose Fair just
started in town. She saw those...

...those toffee apple stalls
and everything.

I used to go every year
without fail.

Wish I was this year.

Sounds like a lot of fun.

We'll go next year,
Charlie, all of us will.

Yeah, yeah, I'd like that.

So how the hell do you know
what a dog biscuit tastes like?

- You never tried one?
- No, I'm not a dog.

[chuckles] Well you have now
because these are dog biscuits.

- Bill, what do you think?
- I think this won't clear itself. Come on.

Cheer up.
We're nearly on our way home.

[knocking on door]

Enter.

[footsteps approach]

Bill.

The only news
I want is good news.

I believe
we've reached the location, sir.

Directly beneath
the German maxim.

Well done.

We'll conceal the detonation
with one of the mortar attacks.

- HQ is getting me the schedule as we speak.
- Aye, sir.

Sir, is there anywhere
to double-check the coordinates?

We don't want
to miss our only chance.

Of course. I'll get someone
on to it right now.

All right.

Baker, Marshall, I've got a job for
you, two. No man's land, tonight.

Easy. Easy.

Will you shut the hell up, how
many times have I done this?

Hey, Woodsy,
can you smell something?

Oh, bloody sewers.

[both laughing]

I'm getting sick
of the attitude.

I don't get it.

Put yourself in their boots.

They don't know who we are.

- Let me tell you a story about Private King.
- No, let's not.

Oh!

[chuckles]

- Oh, you cheeky bastard.
- [chuckles]

[Shorty]
Private King, yeah.

Hey. Private King.
He's a 19-year-old lad.

New to the front. Part of a
troop moving between trenches.

They were out for hours
marching, full pack.

Suddenly, King needs to take a
crap, right, proper desperate, yeah?

So he says to his CO.
The CO is like, "Yeah, fine,

just catch us up after."
He goes off, does his business.

Night is creeping in.
He's in the forest.

Sets off after his troop.

Wrong bloody direction.

In the morning...

...soldiers pick him up,
arrest him.

For desertion?

Aye.

He protests his innocence.
"I was having a crap.

I was having a crap, ask my CO."

Only problem is...

...the CO is dead, isn't he?
German sniper clocked him an hour before.

So with no one to vouch for his story, court
martial instantly returned a guilty verdict.

Then it's a blindfold, bullet,
unmarked grave. Gone.

Christ. That's no way to be remembered,
for everyone to think you're a coward.

No. May as well just walk out into no man's
land and have the boche do it for you.

At least then you get
called a hero. Get a medal.

Hey. So if them regular tommies
want to hate us, I say fine.

Because on one side, they got
maxim guns pointed at them.

On the other, mad bastards who
would rather execute a kid

than believe he needed
to take a shit.

How many medals
do you think we'll get?

They don't give medals
for likes of us.

No. They give them
to general's runners,

ass lickers. Them folk.

You're all having me on
aren't you?

It's like back home, the bottom
people do all the work.

Top brass take all the credit.
And then... well, when it goes right.

- What if it goes wrong?
- It's a two way street, lad.

Praise goes up, shit comes down.

[George]
That's just the way of life.

You know,
if all you can do is your best.

That's all you can do.

- You're a poet, you know that?
- [chuckles]

- Bill. Those coordinates correct?
- Aye. Hellfire sent two chaps

out into no man's land
and they came back correct.

Jolly good, Harker.

The mortar attack is scheduled
from 7:20 until 7:30.

- It should give you plenty of time.
- Plenty, sir.

Excellent.

Excellent. Billy, you do realize
what you're about to do, don't you?

Well, we'll let you know
when we've done it, sir.

[chuckles] Good show. Good show.

All right.

[light dramatic music]

[distant explosions]

[soldier shouting]

The bloody hell's that noise?

You been living under a rock?
Poor sod got sent on some suicide mission

looking for machine gun posts.

He's been stuck out there
for nearly two days now.

I thought they came back.

One of them did.

Morning, chaps.

- Where's Bill?
- [Spotter] What are you doing?

What does it look like?

Don't be so bloody stupid, man.

All right, Private Stockford,
you're up.

- Well, come on!
- Sir, yes, sir!

[loud explosions]

[loud explosion]

[yelling excitedly]

If you go up there
you are a dead man!

Do you understand?
This is madness.

Wait!

[light dramatic music]

Help me, please.

All right, lad,
we're gonna get you down.

[loud explosions continue]

[William grunting]

[soldiers shouting]

[guns cocking and firing]

[soldiers shouting]

[medic]
Watch out. All right, all right.

You should get yourself checked
for insanity, old boy.

- That's just for the COs, mate.
- Bravo.

Following this morning's
mission...

...HQ has deemed it necessary
for the mining effort to expand.

We will continue on
to the Messines as... as planned.

Jolly good news, sir.

Quite.

[knocks on door]

You wanted me, sir.

Yes, Hawkins, just a moment.

Well then.

Carry on, Jack.

Harker.

So we're expanding the tunnels
to the Messines ridge?

That's right.
No concern of yours anymore.

The ridge is over
1,000 feet away.

Thanks to you and your men we
have the know-how to get it done.

There's new mining teams
being trained back home.

With what experience?

Sending the wrong men down there without
the right skills would be irresponsible.

Irresponsible, is it?

What the bloody hell do you call your
performance out there this morning?

Saving a man's life.
What a soldier's supposed to do.

Soldiers follow direct
orders given to them.

They don't saunter
into no man's land

in the hope
of being labeled a hero.

The boy was out there
because of us,

checking our coordinates.
What would you have me do?

Men die every day
doing what we tell them.

It's not pretty, it's necessary.

They run into no man's land,
they fight and they die for each other,

not for a slap on the back
or a medal on the chest.

Perhaps it's a good job
you're leaving.

[pen scribbling]

You've done your bit, bill.

It's time to go home.

I'll put a word in
for you and your men.

We checked the tunnel.

There's some
faint sounds scraping.

It looks like the Germans
are digging now, too.

- Harry, where's your bag?
- Didn't see point in bringing it.

Logistics are saying the trains
might be held up.

There's some commotion
with the froggies

taking on the ones meant for us.

Oh well. We'll just have to
entertain ourselves then, yeah?

Three bloody hours.

Calm down, Charlie.
It will turn up.

I've known you
for 20 years, Bill.

And I can read you
like a half-penny Marvel.

- And?
- I know when you're going to say it's time to dig

and when it's time for a brew. But I also know
when you're going to say job's not done yet.

- Job's not done.
- Whoa. Hellfire said we're done.

- Said we did our bit.
- I know, Shorty.

Without us, those tunnels
are going to fail.

Without the tunnels
there's no bomb,

no bomb means years more
of the same shit

and thousands more men dying.

- Maybe even us losing the war.
- We don't know that.

Yeah. Yeah, we do, lad.

It's a good job
I didn't bring my kit, eh, Bill?

Wait, Harry?
Where are you going?

Bloody hell.

[Shorty] Hellfire said they got a whole
new team of miners down there now.

Showed them how to cut the clay.

And you trust them to get
the job done, do you?

If your life, your family's life
depended on it,

you trust them to get it done?

I don't think I can.

- What's going on?
- Bill's gone mad.

Harry's gone back to the front.

You just trying to prove
something to these people?

That Fielding?

Sod Fielding. Sod Haig.

This is about all the men
they don't care about.

The ones like us.

Now, I hope to God no one ever has
to see a place like this again.

But to do that
the job's got to be finished,

and I believe we're
the only ones can do it.

Shorty?

- Oh, Jesus Christ.
- You're not really thinking it.

Bill, Bill, I want to go home.

- I just want to go home.
- Then go home, Charlie.

You don't owe anyone anything.

None of you do.

- What if we did stay?
- George!

I'm just saying.

It's going to take
six months to dig that tunnel.

- The Germans know we're coming.
- Aye.

Aye. I know, George.

No, no, this is daft.
We're here. We're going home.

If the bloody train
ever sodding shows up.

You know what I'm going to say.

You've got to be joking.

We're not staying.

George, please.

You don't have to come back.

I'm sure they'd understand.

See you, Charlie.

I'm not staying.

Bunch of idiots.

[light dramatic music]

[William]
My darling Jane.

I know each month
I say I'm closer to home.

But war makes us break promises.

And the truth is,
I'm even farther from it.

These past few months,
time has ground by.

- Messines Trench, March 1917, four months later
- Our new tunnels inch closer to the German lines

to the biggest explosion
in history.

And I know it's only
us can make it happen.

The work is slow.

We constantly listen out for the German
tunnels and pray they don't find us.

They say when a soldier dies,

he becomes a patriot.
As the war goes on,

it seems I know
more and more patriots.

- [miner] Anything?
- Guess I must be hearing...

[loud explosion]

[man]
Excuse me, Madam.

I'm afraid I have some rather bad
news to deliver, your husband.

[light melancholic music]

Do you need a chair?
I can go inside.

Mrs. Brown?

- No.
- No, you don't want a chair?

No, I'm not Mrs. Brown.

I'm Mrs. Hawkin. Sarah Brown
lives at number four.

Oh my word.
I'm ever so sorry. Uh...

Let me just, um,
yes, it says 14.

I am so, so sorry.

Um... thank you for your time.

Sorry.

Field Marshal Haig in his infinite
wisdom has given us a date.

- Seventh of June, it's three months from now.
- Three months?

But with the way things are going, we're
not even getting half our usual distance.

- It's non-negotiable, I'm afraid.
- It's too crowded down there.

Since the Germans joined in the fun,
we've had a team running into them

near enough every bloody day.

We're spending more time
dodging them than we are

actually moving forward.

All right.

So we go deeper.

Below the blue clay line where the
boche won't even think to follow.

We can't do it, sir.

Our current location
is here. Messines here.

If we dig deeper that'll take us to here,
that's 300-foot extra ground to cover.

- There's just not enough time.
- Yes, but staying here is suicide.

Sooner or later every team
runs into a German gallery.

I've lost eight in the past week,
I don't want to lose a ninth.

Neither do I.

But if we work any harder,
they'll be nothing left of us to lose.

Only thing we can do
is stay the course

and hope we get lucky.

Luck's not something I like
to hang my hat on, old boy.

Here, take this.

Just in case.

Bill... if this is successful...

...it could change the face of the war,
no more stalemates, no more trenches,

we march to Berlin.

You could be the man
to achieve that.

[George]
You all right, Charlie?

Yeah, not heard from Maggie
for a couple of weeks.

Just getting a bit
worried about her.

I'm sure she's fine.
Just busy that's all.

She runs the plant
as much as Rogers does.

Yeah, I guess so.

Funny, though, isn't it?

What is?

Well, when you're at home...

...getting a letter,
it don't mean nothing, really.

But out here.

You know.

Next time I see the postman on Applegate
Street, I'm going to shake his hand.

I really am.

You think I'm being stupid
about it, don't you?

No.

Of course not.

I think I really love her.

Another day in the sun, gents.

[soft rumbling]

[cocks gun]

[softly chuckles]

Get the stuff.

[clattering]

[muffled German shouting]

Move!

[loud explosion]

As much as I hate to say it,
you were right.

I'll get that in writing, shall I? How
much deeper do you think you need to go?

Well, if we're going to get under
them, it will need to be over 100 feet.

- But with that, there's going to be new problems.
- Such as?

The deeper down we go, the more the
composition of the ground will change.

Also, we're below sea level. And then
there's all the stuff I can't predict.

Cave-ins. Oxygen drop outs.

And we'll need canaries
in case of gas pockets.

Can you do it in time?

I don't know. We're the only crew that can.
We're working every hour God sends.

We could do with him
sending us a few more.

Focus all your energies
on a single tunnel.

Increase shift times. You have to do
it, just with less shut-eye.

Right lads, up we get. Beauty
sleep is wasted on the ugly.

Bloody hell, Bill, we've only
just got us heads down.

- We're here to do a job.
- I never wanted to sodding be here in the first place.

Listen, Bill.

They've been working solid.
They need a rest.

- And so do you.
- And we can have as long as we want when job's done.

- Only a couple more weeks.
- [sighs] Look at them.

Look. They're on the verge of collapsing,
you'd never do this back at home.

We're not at home, are we?

Like Hellfire says,

"We do this, the war's over."

Come on. Five minutes
and we're at the face.

[bird chirping]

[shoveling]

[grunts]

One more bag, nearly there.

[muffled explosion]

Did anyone feel something?

Shh.

I thought I heard a crack.

[muffled explosion]

[light dramatic music]

You all right?

George, no!

[loud explosion]

[loud explosion]

Medic! Medic!

[coughing]

[Harold]
Bastard!

You'll bloody kill us,
I warned you!

Get off me! Get off me!

They will bloody shoot you.

You see, this is what you get

when you let common sewer
workers play at being soldiers.

It's nothing to be concerned about, sir.
They're just overworked.

Oh, we're all overworked.

A lack of discipline
is a lack of discipline.

No ifs, no buts.

I'm a busy man, Jack.

So you and your underground trolls
here can apologize for wasting my time.

This troll's name
is Private Stockford.

And with all due respect, sir,

you can shove your little stick
up your plumy little ass.

- Get off!
- Sergeant!

Take him and him
for field punishment number one.

- Insubordination.
- Sir! You!

Get up on your feet.
Get on your feet.

Get over there.
You, face that way.

Face that way. Stand
to attention. Stand next to him.

Double it away. Quick march!

Hike up, hike up, hike up,
hike up, hike up,

hike up, hike up,
hike up, hike up.

Left, right, left, right, left,
right, left, right, left, right, yeah.

Detail! Halt!

Hawkin. On that door facing me. Go.
Stockford. By that door, facing me, go.

- Turn around. Private. Tie him up.
- S'arnt.

Hawkin, hold your hands out
in front of me.

- Make sure it's tight, boy.
- S'arnt.

- Ready?
- S'arnt.

Raise!

- Fall back.
- S'arnt.

Detail. About turn.

Quick. March. Left, right, left.
We'll be back in the morning.

That pompous prat with a stick.

Is that the type of man we're
supposed to get respect from is it?

- Oh give it a bloody rest, will you?
- I'm being serious.

When I'm 100 feet underground trying me
best not to be burnt alive or crushed,

- I just want to know what it's all for.
- We don't work for him, do we?

- We work for Hellfire.
- I don't work for him.

I don't trust him, I bloody well
work for you, and I did trust you.

When have I ever lied to you?

You're lying to yourself now.

That great victory you're waiting
for, not going to happen.

This war is just going to trundle
along no matter what we do,

and the only reason you're here is so that
when people ask what happened back at home,

- you can hold your bloody head high.
- That's bollocks, that.

Is it? Is it?

I've lived long enough to know that the
only person that can really judge you

is the one that's in your
own bloody boots, Bill.

[light dramatic music]

All I'm saying is that, those
that know you, they respect you.

They know what you put on the line.
I'm talking about Peter and Jane.

And me.

Sometimes. When you're not being
a bloody pigheaded moron.

[sighs]

[birds chirping]

[footsteps approaching]

Hurts, doesn't it, Hawkin?

Yes, sir.

The army doesn't tolerate
insubordination

under any circumstances.

I however admire a man who
stands for what he believes in.

Who doesn't leave a man
in the field to die alone.

You breathe a word
of this to anybody

and I'll have
your guts for garters.

And you'll be
on latrine duty for a month.

Yes, s'arnt.

[soldiers muttering]

[chuckling]

- Hellfire say what he wants, s'arnt?
- You'll see soon enough.

[gun firing]

Think that'll work
on the Germans?

Not a chance.
We've run out of sausage.

Uh-huh.

Well.

Ah. Thank you, s'arnt. Carry on.

All right, chaps.

Bit of R&R
before the final push.

Haven't got the time
for a week in Bognor,

so this will have to suffice.

I think we're more
the football type, sir.

[laughs] Here.

- W.G. Grace gave me that.
- [Charlie] W.G. who?

- Greatest cricketer of all time.
- [Shorty] Is that a good thing, is it?

Yes, it is. You wicket.

Harold, no smoking
on the field of play.

All right, just stand there
and catch it.

Hawkin, go long, George in,
right, who wants to bowl?

- What?
- He's asking who wants to lob a ball at CO.

- [Hellfire laughs]
- No!

[laughter]

- I didn't mean it!
- [soldier] Mail for Private MacDonald.

- Which one?
- [soldier] C.

[Charlie] Yes,
about damn time she wrote to me.

All right, George. You're in bat.
Try and use the right end.

- Send it, son. Go on.
- [Hellfire] Legs together, George, legs together.

- [ball smacking]
- Oh!

That's it. Get it, bowler, get
him out, come on. Get him out!

Oh. Well done. [laughs]

- Well that's it then, that's a quick game this cricket...
- Charlie!

Charlie! Hey, Charlie!

[light somber music]

Charlie!

Charlie! Hey!

Charlie!

- Charlie! No! Charlie!
- [Charlie] Out of my way! Out of my way!

[soldier] What the bloody hell
are you doing man,

get down! Get down!

- Jesus Christ.
- No!

Charlie! Charlie!

No, no, Charlie!

[melancholic piano music]

Charlie!

No! Charlie!

Oh, Lord.

[William]
My dearest Jane.

I'm writing to you
with the heaviest of hearts.

Last night our Charlie
took his own life.

Harold had warned me that
the men were close to breaking,

but I wouldn't see it.
I should have seen it.

He had just received a letter
from Margaret Parish.

It seems Ned
had finally come home

and so she had called off
their love affair.

It's heartbreaking,
what love can do,

more powerful than anything
over here I could honestly say.

Would you tell Charlie's mother
he died honorably?

It would be much better coming from
you than a stranger in uniform.

It's the least he deserves.

[crying] Oh, no. Oh, no.

- I'm so sorry.
- No!

I'm so sorry.

[William]
Despite what has happened,

the team is still
working without rest.

George showing more strength
than I can imagine to carry on.

We are near our end but...
mad as it seems,

I'm not sure
if I want it to stop.

Because if I do,
I don't know who I'll be.

Part of me wants all this blood and terror, because
I know I can be of some worth in stopping it.

And without it, I'm just
another man in a flat cap.

But part of me knows my greatest achievement
lies at home with you and the life we had made.

[crying]

Maybe you were right all along.

I'm just a bloody fool.

All my love is with you
and Peter.

Yours forever, William.

- June 6, 1917, eve of the attack
- [birds chirping]

[Shorty] Wasn't able
to do an oxygen test.

So we'll just have to go for it.

That's all right, lads.
I've got it sorted.

- What's that?
- Apparently, army has run out of canaries,

so I've had to improvise.
Say hello to Fielding Jr. here.

- It looks dead.
- It's not dead, it's pissed.

Gave it a tot of rum. As long
as we can see it breathing,

- it's all that matters.
- Fielding takes away our miners

and we replace them
with a pissed rat?

Seems a fair swap.

[Hellfire] If you're quite
finished with the local wildlife.

At ease, men.

[light solemn music]

I'm very proud.

Very proud of each
and every one of you.

Your belief.

Your courage in the face
of great difficulty.

You pretty much lived
your whole lives underground,

out of sight, unrecognized.

But tonight...

...in a matter of hours...

...thousands of our boys
will be torn to ribbons.

Unless we set that bomb.

This isn't about what
we can prove to the top brass.

This is about
what we can do for our men.

Gentlemen...

...tonight...

...we may not make history...

...but we'll certainly change
the bloody geography.

Shorty.

Harold.

It's been a privilege.

Thank you, sir.

I was wrong about you, Bill.

You're a fine soldier.

03:00 AM
Three hours before the attack

Hey. Time.

[whispering]
Listen. They're close.

[soft rumbling]

It's Harold.

Shorty,
I need you to calm, right?

Yeah.

Bill, we need more bags.

[light suspenseful music]

[Shorty]
Wait, wait, wait.

Shorty, you're imagining things,
snap out of it.

Give me a sec.

It's clear.

- [rumbling]
- George!

Shh...

Pick yourself up, lad.

If we find a German tunnel,
we've got to blow it. You know that.

And what if one of their
galleries is next to the chamber?

I need to see.

[Harold]
Bill!

Get your bloody ass back here.

Seems to be heading
a few degrees west.

The chamber should be
safe from the blast.

Let's get the charges
and bring the whole thing down.

- [shouting in German]
- [Harold] Bill, move!

- [gun firing]
- [grunting]

[intense music]

[yelling]

[gun clattering]

[gun clicking]

George!

[wood smashing]

[yelling]

[music intensifying]

[gun firing]

[loud explosion]

[muffled grunting]

[William yelling]

Get off me!

What the bloody hell?

- No! The tunnel!
- Bill, it's gone.

It's gone.
The whole thing came down.

The chamber might still be
intact. Let's get back to work.

No, no, no, it will take hours to redig.
It's over, Bill. Forget it.

The whole thing. Gone.

The German tunnel.

- Part of their tunnel runs right alongside ours.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa.

- No, no, no, no! The chamber's collapsed!
- All we have to do is

find the right spot, break through,
we'll be right back there in the chamber!

There are a load of bullets that's
going to disagree with that, Bill.

The German procedure means they'll have
to scrap their tunnels, start a new one.

- They'll expect us to do the same.
- [Harold] No!

It's a bloody suicide mission,
Bill, your own your own.

- The time of attack is set in stone.
- No.

At half past six, our boys are going
to be charging straight to their deaths

unless we do this.

[panting]

No.

Harry...

...when you said I didn't have to come
here to prove myself, you were right.

When you called me a bloody
pigheaded moron, you were right.

Everyone of us is worth
as much as any general.

And I should have seen that
years ago. I'm sorry.

But right now, we've got
a simple choice to make.

We either stay here, do nothing, give
up, because we think we might fail.

Or we get back in there
and we do what we came here for.

Not to be heroes, but because
it's the right thing to do.

Let's get our
bloody gear then, eh?

Georgie, you stay here.

- I was wrong to push you to do this.
- No, you're fine.

You didn't look fine when
them crauts jumped us.

I'm sorry.

I just couldn't.

It won't happen again.

We finish this together.

At least someone's
having a good time.

- 05:00 AM, an hour before the attack
- [water dripping]

[light suspenseful music]

Shh.

[distant scraping]

- [rat squeaking]
- Ah!

George, go back to breakthrough
point. Stand lookout.

Any activity, let us know.

[shoveling]

[light suspenseful music]

Get the stuff.

We got 15 minutes to finish these connections
and then ten to get the hell out.

[blows softly]

- [Shorty] Bill...
- [William] Where?

I don't know. Multiple points.

Depth?

- Above us, I think.
- Then we proceed as planned.

Tell George.

Boy is on his own.
We've got work to do.

[yelling in German]

[intense music]

Shh. Shh.

[yelling in German]

[sharp thud]

[light suspenseful music]

[low rumbling]

We don't have much time.
It's going to fall.

It'll hold.

You two, get the cable out.

Just got a few more to do.

[distant gunfire]

Come to see how we win
a war like gentlemen, Jack?

Depends what you mean
by gentlemen, sir.

[low rumbling]

- How are we doing?
- Make sure the explosive's primed.

It has to go off
at 6:30 exactly. All right?

It goes off no matter what.

- Go on.
- Bill...

...see you topside.

[cable rattling]

[muffled explosions]

[grunting]

- What the hell are you doing?
- German saw me, I killed him.

I'm going to hell.

The whole world is going to fall in on us
here, George. I need you out of here. Now.

- What about you?
- I've got to stay and finish the wire.

Oh no, Bill.

Take this. This is our Peter's.

Now listen to me, George.
Listen to me.

You're not going to hell.

[light solemn music]

You were just protecting us.

[muffled explosions]

I should have protected
your Charlie. I'm sorry.

Now here we are. If we don't
get these bombs set off,

this war will all go on and on. Before you
know it, our Peter will be Charlie's age.

I can't have that.

All this has to mean something.

Some light has to leave
these bloody tunnels.

[chuckles] All right?

[explosions intensify]

[grunting]

Come on, Bill.

[water splashing]

[loud explosion]

[coughs]

[dramatic music]

[sergeant]
Platoon!

Fix bayonets!

[sergeant shouting]

Shit! Shit!

[grunting]

He'll have done it.

[loud explosions]

- [William] No!
- [muffled Germans shouting]

[intense music]

[Germans yelling]

[guns firing]

Ah!

Right.

Done.

[solemn music]

[panting]

What if Bill didn't make it?

He gave us his orders.

Oh Lord.
The shade on our right hand.

[loud explosion]

[melancholic music]

[whistle blowing]

[soldiers shouting]

George!

[grunting]

I thought you'd bolted, son.

Bill?

[panting]

He's dead.

[melancholic music]

[crying]

[Harold]
Let's get you to a medic.

Right. Come on, lads.

Let's go.

[radio announcer] This morning
at 6:30 a.m., an explosion

the size of which
the world has never known

punctured German lines
at Messines,

allowing Allied troops to take
enemy trenches unscathed.

The blast, so giant it was felt
back in Downing Street,

was detonated through
underground bomb chambers dug...

[knocking on door]

I got the telegram yesterday,
there were no need to come.

May I anyway?

There are things I'm supposed
to say in a situation like this.

Such as hero...

...selfless act...

...patriot.

But I'm not going
to waste your time...

Because we already know
who William was.

Didn't need a war to show it.

A medal is just a fancy
piece of costume jewelry.

And a letter from the King
ain't worth... Ears.

Isn't worth the horse shit
it's written on.

I don't think I ever met a more stubborn
pigheaded man than your husband,

Mrs. Hawkin.

And I don't think
I've ever respected one more.

Ah!

I almost forgot.

This little chap went
everywhere with your father.

It made him believe he could
achieve great things, and it did.

It did...

...save thousands of lives.

Because he was yours.

And now... he belongs
back with you.

[melancholic music]

[sniffles]

Peter.

The Messines explosion
was the most powerful ever recorded.

The British Prime Minister heard
the detonation from London, 225 km away.

The mines killed
more than 10,000 German soldiers.

The enemy camp was invaded
by the Allies in less than 35 minutes.

It was the very last
tunnel of the Great War.

[somber music]