Netflix has released the first trailer for All Quiet on the Western Front, an unflinching, brutal adaptation of the 1929 anti-war novel by Erich Maria Remarque.
Starring a German cast including Felix Kammerer, Albrecht Schuch, and Marvel actor Daniel Brühl, All Quiet on the Western Front – premiering October 28 on the streamer – follows the harrowing experience of young German soldier Paul on the frontlines of the Western Front during World War One.
As the trailer shows, it’s got more than a splash of 1917 DNA. The close-ups, muddy trenches, and bleak battlefields do much to remove itself from the canon of war heroes and Hollywood epics. There’s even a hint of behind-the-scenes politicking away from the theater of war. That’s where Brühl, the movie’s most recognizable face thanks to his turn as Zemo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, showcases his talents.
The trailer may be deeply uncomfortable watch, but it’s one that may capture the attention of many come awards season. Indeed, All Quiet on the Western Front has been put forward as Germany’s entry for Best International Feature at next year’s Academy Awards.
The war epic also joins a formidable upcoming lineup on Netflix. The streaming service has recently unveiled its movie slate for the rest of 2022, including an Enola Holmes sequel starring Millie Bobby Brown and December’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, featuring Daniel Craig solving another mystery amid an all-star cast including Edward Norton, Janelle Monae, and Dave Bautista.
