'Journey's End' shows horror of war, spirit that transcends it

The film is based on the oft-performed 1928 play.

- Peter Rainer

I did not expect to be as moved by “Journey’s End” as I was. Based on the 1928 R.C. Sherriff play about a battalion of doomed British soldiers during World War I, it’s a prime example of what is commonly referred to as a “warhorse” – a piece of material that has been so often performed and worked over that it practically renders criticism superfluous. Sherriff’s play has been periodically staged and filmed since its inception, including a celebrated 1930 adaptation directed by James Whale shortly before he made “Frankenstein.” Was there need of yet another version?

Yes, as it turns out. There is a good reason why certain warhorses still ride the range. The play (which Sherriff also novelized with Vernon Bartlett) is such a sturdy contraption that, as directed by Saul Dibb and written by Simon Reade, it transfers almost seamlessly to the screen. The power of the material survives because the anguish and heroism inherent in the story are enduring. So, alas, is war itself.