Cillian Murphy Fans ‘Expected More’ from ‘Anticlimactic’ WWI Film Featuring James Bond Icon

Before cementing his status as the brooding Tommy Shelby in Peaky Blinders, Cillian Murphy took part in a lesser-known 1999 war drama, The Trench. The film, which also stars Daniel Craig—now famous as James Bond—depicts the harrowing 48 hours leading up to the 1916 Battle of the Somme, one of World War I’s bloodiest confrontations.

The Trench follows a group of young British soldiers preparing to face the brutal realities of trench warfare during this catastrophic battle that resulted in nearly one million casualties, including over 300,000 deaths. Despite featuring a cast that later rose to international fame, the movie’s reception has been lukewarm at best.

Now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, The Trench holds a modest 40% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, reflecting a divided audience. Many viewers have expressed disappointment, citing slow pacing and a lack of character development. One reviewer wrote bluntly: “Slow and boring, even with Daniel Craig and Cillian Murphy. Lack of plot, no character development.” Another gave the film a one-star review, lamenting, “I expected more from this movie. It was boring, and the ending was very anticlimactic.”

Critics and viewers alike pointed to the film’s predictable storyline as a major drawback, with comments highlighting the minimal action despite the grim setting. “It limped along to a predictable end,” one user quipped, “with final scenes so detached from a real WWI battlefield that they might as well have been filmed on the moon. So bad it could not even be saved by Thomas Shelby and James Bond.”

The lack of combat sequences frustrated many, too. “No combat, no action, nothing,” one disappointed viewer vented. “When the time comes, the guy goes up and over and bam—dead immediately. That’s it. End of the movie. About 3 minutes of action in the whole thing. Whoever made this movie should be ashamed.”

However, not all reactions were negative. A faction of viewers praised the film’s realistic and unvarnished portrayal of the First World War. One positive review hailed The Trench as “one of the two or three best WWI films I have ever seen,” appreciating its focus on authenticity rather than Hollywood spectacle. “There are no love scenes, no gratuitous violence, and no effort to modernize 1916 morals or speech,” the review noted. “This is simply a spot-on, accurate portrayal of what WWI was really like—much as Band of Brothers was for WWII.”

This mix of praise and criticism highlights the divide between audiences seeking traditional war movie action and those appreciating a more somber, realistic take on the horrors of trench warfare. While The Trench may not have delivered the excitement many hoped for from its star-studded cast, it remains a poignant, if polarizing, glimpse into one of history’s darkest battles.