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Before Dawn

Before Dawn

War · Drama · History · 2024

After leaving his family's sheep farm in the Australian outback, a young man joins his countrymen on the western front of World War I with hopes of helping expedite an end to the bloody conflict. But as war rages on, he is forced to grapple with the brutal realities of trench warfare, including a near-constant battle to keep himself alive—without leaving another man behind. Inspired by the real-life diary entries of local ANZACs, the feature film details the untold story of some of Australia’s greatest military victories.

Movie details

Before Dawn

“War leaves scars. Heroes leave legends.”

2024 War · Drama · History 1h 41m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.9 / 10

Community rating

After leaving his family's sheep farm in the Australian outback, a young man joins his countrymen on the western front of World War I with hopes of helping expedite an end to the bloody conflict. But as war rages on, he is forced to grapple with the brutal realities of trench warfare, including a near-constant battle to keep himself alive—without leaving another man behind. Inspired by the real-life diary entries of local ANZACs, the feature film details the untold story of some of Australia’s greatest military victories.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Before Dawn?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Flyboys

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The Last of the Mohicans

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The Thin Red Line

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Heartbreak Ridge

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The Water Diviner

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Jordon Prince-Wright

Written by

Jordon Prince-Wright · Jarrad Russell

Levi Miller

Levi Miller

Jim Collins

Travis Jeffery

Travis Jeffery

Thomas Nickels

Ed Oxenbould

Ed Oxenbould

Don

Stephen Peacocke

Stephen Peacocke

Cpl Beale

Myles Pollard

Myles Pollard

Sgt Beaufort

Tim Franklin

Tim Franklin

Big Tooth

Jordan Dulieu

Jordan Dulieu

Ned Wright

Court is in session

Put Before Dawn on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.