Welcome back to Movie Recap. Today I'm gonna show you a 2017 British war film called,
Journey's End. Spoilers ahead. Sit back, relax and enjoy the video.
The film begins in 1918 in St. Quentin, Northern France, with Captain Osborne marching along with
dozens of soldiers led by Captain Stanhope to return to their trenches. On the other hand,
Second Lieutenant James Raleigh, a young officer, arrives at the Battalion Headquarters,
where he requests to see his uncle, General Raleigh. James asks his uncle to send him
under the command of Captain Stanhope of C Company. James shares that he and Stanhope
went to the same school and were close friends, especially because Stanhope is dating his sister.
As they arrive at the trenches, Osborne searches for Captain Hardy, and when he does,
Hardy comments about serving Stanhope, whom he claims is an alcoholic. Osborne defends
Stanhope and describes him as "the best company they ever had." Meanwhile, Captain Stanhope
supervises his men on fixing their trenches to be prepared for any attack of the Germans.
After relieving Hardy of his duty and letting him leave, Osborne goes to the trench house where
Private Mason, a servant cook, makes dinner for the officers. Moments later, Lieutenant
Raleigh arrives at the muddy trenches, and Sergeant Major accompanies him down the dugout.
Osborne welcomes Raleigh, and they start getting acquainted as they drink whisky.
As they talk, Raleigh reveals that he knew Captain Stanhope before he was sent to war. Stanhope used
to stay with them during the holidays. Hearing this, Osborne warns Raleigh that Stanhope has
changed as the effects of leading the company in the war for three years took a big hit on him.
After that, Osborne points to where Raleigh can unpack his stuff,
and it is a small room at the back. Shortly after, Stanhope enters the dugout, his voice roaring as
he complains about faulty trenches, rusty bombs, damp rifle grenades, exclaiming that the whole
place is a mess and disgrace. He then orders Mason to bring him the whisky and continues to blabber.
Osborne tries to stop and warn him about Raleigh, but he is too late as Raleigh comes out of the
room. Raleigh warmly greets his friend, who is too stunned to speak after seeing him.
Mason appears to bring their dinner, breaking the tension between the two. As they settle down,
Second Lieutenant Trotter introduces himself to Raleigh. Stanhope avoids Raleigh's stares,
confusion, and worriedness evident on his face. A few minutes later, Stanhope orders Trotter to
relieve another officer, Hibbert, on duty. Even though not finished with his food,
Trotter obliges. Stanhope then instructs Raleigh to follow Trotter to learn,
and he obliges. As soon as they are out of sight, Stanhope takes the whiskey and pours
himself a drink. He quickly engulfs it and pours himself another, Osborne just looking at him.
Outside, Trotter lets Raleigh shoot a green sparkler in the air,
a signal for just pure business, while a red one means alarm. After that, Trotter guides him
to another area where they can see the Germans from afar. Raleigh does not pull the trigger,
but he makes gunshot sounds, causing Trotter to smile at his playfulness and evident excitement.
Hibbert then comes into the dugout and informs Stanhope that he has lost his appetite because
of the pain pounding in his head. Hibbert excuses himself to rest, and as soon as he is
out of sight, Stanhope starts to mutter insults, his annoyance evident for no absolute reason.
Osborne stops him and changes the subject to Raleigh's sister, Margaret, who thinks of
Stanhope highly and respectively. He is terrified of coming back to her because he cannot be sober
for a whole day, and now that Raleigh is in his company, he is more afraid than ever.
He fears that Raleigh might write a letter to Margaret, telling her that he is now a drunkard.
Stanhope then rants that of all the soldiers available in the battalion headquarters,
why did they send Raleigh to him. Osborne senses that Stanhope is drunk,
so he carries him to his room and puts him to bed. After that, Osborne goes out and stares
at the dark clouds while smoking his cigar. Moments later, Raleigh and Trotter return,
and they see that Stanhope is still up and holding the whiskey bottle. The two dismiss
the drunk Stanhope and focus on their business. Meanwhile, Stanhope's imagination plays a trick
on him by letting him see that the trenches are on fire, and he stands there watching them burn.
The following day, while Stanhope supervises his men, Sergeant Major informs him that the Colonel
is asking for him ASAP. So, he orders Sergeant Major to tell Raleigh to be in charge while he
is away. Stanhope arrives at the Colonel's office, where the Colonel informs him that
the long-awaited German attack will happen in two days. Once it happens, their company
will not expect much reinforcement, so they need to slow the German as long as possible.
Meanwhile, after relieving the men of their duty, Raleigh gets inside the house to eat.
As he does, Osborne shares that he used to play rugby and was a schoolmaster. Raleigh is
shocked and impressed by the information, but he excuses himself to write a letter for his sister.
At that same time, Stanhope returns to the trenches and informs Trotter about the attack
happening in two days. After that, he goes to Osborne and shares the information with him,
but instead of getting nervous or afraid, Osborne claims that
he is glad something is finally happening. Stanhope then calls Mason for the whiskey,
and he immediately gives him the bottle. Raleigh then comes out to leave the letter,
but Stanhope stops him and tells him that he needs to censor all the letters. Raleigh refuses
to give the letter at first as it is private, but Stanhope says he must follow the rules and orders.
So, Raleigh reluctantly hands him the letter and leaves to inspect his rifles.
Fed up by Stanhope's behavior, Osborne steps in and defends Raleigh's right to keep his letter
private. However, Stanhope orders Osborne to read the letter only to discover that Raleigh
did not mention his drinking but instead said positive things about him. Stanhope stands there,
guilty for his acts, while Osborne goes out to follow Raleigh.
Seconds later, a man informs Stanhope that the Colonel wants to see him again right away.
So, Stanhope returns to the headquarters, where the Colonel tells him that the higher-ups have
decided to stage a raid on the German trenches before the attack. The attack was supposed to
happen later that night, but the Colonel asked for an extension, and the higher-ups granted it.
The Colonel says that the raid will take place tomorrow afternoon. All of these sound like a
suicide mission to Stanhope, but the Colonel insists they do it, and they need two officers
and ten men for the task. He tells Stanhope that Osborne will direct the raid while Raleigh will
dash in a German soldier. Stanhope argues that Raleigh just arrived and is new, but the Colonel
insists he leads as the others seem unfit for the task, and Raleigh is their only option.
After that, Stanhope returns to the trenches to find Osborne happy and satisfied with how Raleigh
meticulously inspects the soldiers' rifles. Stanhope does not disturb and goes inside the
house to find Hibbert waiting for him. Hibbert informs him that his neuralgia has worsened,
and he believes he needs to go to the hospital to get medical treatment.
This enrages Stanhope, so he pressures and forces Hibbert to stay, and when he refuses,
Stanhope pulls a gun on him. However, Hibbert does not seem to be threatened and even dares Stanhope
to pull the trigger, but he does not. Finally, Hibbert reveals that he does not have neuralgia,
but instead, he cannot stand the war. Because of this, Stanhope becomes empathetic and shares that
he, too, feels that way. However, he could not let his men down, so he used alcohol to
numb himself. Drinking became his companion. After their little moment, Stanhope goes out
and informs Osborne, Trotter, Raleigh, and the rest of the men he chose to come about the raid.
Later that night, as he joins the Colonel to dinner, Stanhope shares that he had informed
the two officers and ten men about the raid, and only Raleigh thought it was exciting.
The following day, rations and portions from the Colonel arrive at the trenches.
The men prepare themselves while Stanhope and the Colonel go through the plan for the raid.
Osborne and his men will launch a smoke bomb to the German fence that will cover Raleigh
and his men when they slip through. As soon as they slip through, they need to grab a German
soldier they can find and take him hostage to gather more information about the attack.
Before their mission, Osborne writes a letter for his wife and children if he does not make
it back. He wants them to remember that he will die fighting for their country. However, he
burns the letter. The Colonel and Stanhope visit Osborne and Raleigh, preparing themselves for the
raid. The Colonel gives the two a few words of encouragement before he leaves with Stanhope.
As they wait for the time to pass by, Osborne and Raleigh spend their time together,
bonding, talking about their lives outside the war. They talk about their hometowns and favorite
places to go whenever they need to unwind. Before they leave, Osborne instructs Raleigh
to change his uniform so the Germans cannot see their ranks. Then, Osborne takes off his watch,
rings, necklace and leaves them on the table. After that, they go out to the trenches,
where Stanhope notices the fear and anxiety evident on Raleigh's face. Stanhope dismisses
that and lets Osborne and Raleigh go up first. The men follow the officers, crawling their way
to the German fence. Stanhope is left at the British trench to guard and waits for his men.
They patiently wait for the bomb to explode before they go out of their hideout
and walk towards the German trenches. Despite the Germans using their machine gun at them,
they still move forward until they reach the enemy's territory. They quickly grab the first
German soldier they can find and drag him as they return to their trenches. However, the Germans
manage to kill some of the men, so Osborne carries the German soldier all by himself while the
remaining British soldiers return to the trenches. After successfully executing the raid,
the soldiers deliver the kidnapped German soldier to the Colonel, who is pleased to know
they succeeded. However, Stanhope discovers that only four men and Raleigh came back,
and Osborne is out there, dead. Like Stanhope, Raleigh is stunned and shocked by the loss.
Later that night, Trotter, Stanhope, and Hibbert get drunk from the champagne that
the Colonel rewarded them. Unlike before, Hibbert drinks more than he can handle, and he starts to
get talkative and loud. Simultaneously, Raleigh joins the lower soldiers on their dinner outside.
Inside, Mason informs Stanhope that the five bottles of whiskey that they brought with them are
already empty, and the one he is holding is the last one of them. Trotter then prepares to relieve
Raleigh from his duty, and Hibbert informs him that Raleigh is outside with the lower rankers.
This enrages Stanhope, so he rudely orders Hibbert to leave. Hibbert obliges without saying a word.
Trotter follows Hibbert outside, and shortly after, Raleigh comes in, and Stanhope confronts
him about eating out with the lower rankers. Stanhope castigates his actions, and Raleigh knows
it is not just about the food anymore. So, Raleigh apologizes to Stanhope for joining his company,
which sends Stanhope to the edge. He shouts his remorse about Osborne's death at Raleigh.
Osborne was the only one who understood and defended him when everyone commented about
his drinking and leadership skills. Stanhope bursts into tears as emotions overwhelm him.
The next day, while the lower rankers fix the trenches to prepare for the attack,
the officers, except Raleigh, are hungover. Mason gives them hot tea while for it,
but Stanhope instructs him to clean his kitchen and follow Trotter.
Hibbert and Stanhope follow the men outside, leaving the dugout empty.
Anxiousness and fear fill the air as the British army waits for the Germans to attack.
The men utter small prayers as they aim their guns at the enemies. After the nerve-wracking waiting,
the Germans finally release a red sparkler in the air, signaling an alarm. A bomb then
drops on their trenches, and it is quickly followed by numerous bombs from the Germans.
Ashes, rocks, and smokes from the explosions cover their sight, but the British army still stands
tall. However, an explosion hits Raleigh's back, causing him to immediately lose consciousness.
A soldier quickly informs Stanhope about it, and they drag his body inside the dugout.
Stanhope orders the soldier to return outside while he helps Raleigh.
As he lies on the bed, Raleigh calls Stanhope "Dennis," which he used to call before the war.
Raleigh cannot move his legs as his spine is damaged, but despite that,
he still wants to be outside to help his men fight. He starts to shake from the cold,
so Stanhope moves to get the candle and blanket, and when he turns back,
Raleigh has stopped moving and breathing, but his eyes are still open.
Tears filled Stanhope's eyes as another good friend of his died,
but a soldier interrupts his mourning moment to fetch as they need his help outside.
Stanhope holds his friend's hand for the last time before he leaves the dugout, only to see his men
dead on the ground. Stanhope can only look as the Germans bomb them. A mortar then hits the dugout,
causing it to collapse, burying Raleigh's body. The following day, Margaret receives Raleigh's
letter containing admiration about Stanhope's leadership skills. The film ends with a couple
of soldiers inspecting the trenches of C Company, which is torn down to pieces
with lifeless bodies lying everywhere. It is unclear whether Stanhope survived the explosion.