The United States only had a year's worth of involvement in the first World War war, with our British brothers giving their lives long before we went over there. This is one story of one troop, all servants of the Queen Mother (Maggie Smith), who go off to battle and never return. David Jason is excellent as the Queen's former butler who is in command of the battalion. The fact that he is joined in this battle by several of his own sons is reminiscent of the American Sullivan brothers, all killed on the same navy ship during the second World War.While this is set during historical times also covered in the second season of "Downton Abbey", it is ironic to see two of its cast members (Dame Maggie Smith and Phyllis Logan) here playing two totally different kind of characters. As Lady Violent on "Downton Abbey", Smith is extremely imperious and sardonic; Here, she is the mother of King George V, one that Lady Violet would have to curtsy towards. However, this Queen Mum is not at all imperious; She shows extreme loyalty to her servants who have been loyal to her, stops by a country wedding to comment on the beautiful bride, and is the force behind the investigation as to what happened. Every word out of mouth denotes gentility and kindness, and in a few spots, I thought I was seeing Vanessa Redgrave, not Dame Maggie. Logan here plays a lady of some means, also quite different than her "Downton Abbey" housekeeper.While this is an intriguing movie and certainly well filmed, I thought that the battle scenes were blurry and somewhat dizzying. This made the impact of what happens somewhat lessened for me, although what the final outcome ends up being is certainly horrifying and definitely shocking.

Few screen depictions ever hammer home the blunt and pointless nature of the Great War, especially the futile Gallipoli Campaign. This much under-rated BBC film achieves just that, an historical tableau never matched since on the small screen.The cast contains the cream of British acting talent, including David Jason, Maggie Smith, David Troughton and Patrick Malahide. The story, in a nutshell, is that of the Sandringham Company, a territorial unit formed by Frank Beck, agent on the Sandringham Royal Estate for King George V and his mother Queen Alexandria. The Company is dispatched to Turkey and go down in legend as advancing into action whilst being enveloped in a cloud, rumoured to be the hand of God. Their fate is determined after their bodies are discovered several years later with bullet wounds to the skulls. They had, for the most part, been executed by the Turks after surrendering.The graphic nature of the conflict is commendably realised and the veneer of heroism and medals stripped when we see the horrors and cruelty of war in it's starkest form. The death of Captain Claude Howlett, the tortured Boer War veteran, is one of the most moving ever witnessed on film. Patrick Malahide once again displays his unique gift like few others are able to.This is certainly not for those who are used to the rather bloodless 'Gunga Din' depiction of warfare that has been made but if you desire a few hours of historical enlightenment and superb performances by some of the finest actors in the world, then this made for television film is the piece de resistance.

while I agree with other posters about the quality of this film (the characters, acting and storyline were impressive) I can't say the same for the "mystery" aspect of the incident in Gallipolli it is based on. It is a myth that no official explanation exists; the incident is recorded in detail in the regimental history of the Norfolk regiment, to which the Sandringham company belonged. It is also a myth that no trace of the men was ever found; whilst their fate was unknown during the war (hence the mystery) their graves were recorded in 1920. The sad truth seems to be that most of the men perished in the battle, and those that did not died as prisoners of war

Director Julian Jarrold (Emmy-nominated "Great Expectations") makes another richly textured film. Beautifully filmed with high production values, it takes us on an emotional journey through the blunderous battle at Gallipoli. Like the more famous movie starring Mel Gibson and Mark Lee, "All the Kings Men" introduces us to the brave soldiers who enthusiastically volunteered to fight for King and Country in World War I. The cast is excellent (if you enjoyed "Great Expectations," you will see many familiar faces here); the story is heart-wrenching.