I'll Say So

In the feverish atmosphere of 1917, 'I'll Say So' presents a kinetic portrait of Bill Durham, a man whose patriotic fervor is momentarily stifled by the banal reality of a medical disqualification. Rejected from the United States military due to the orthopedic inadequacy of flat feet, Durham’s narrative trajectory shifts from the structured discipline of the infantry to the improvisational chaos of amateur espionage. His romantic entanglement with Barbara Knowles serves as the emotional anchor, yet the plot thickens when her guardian, August Myers, is revealed to be a clandestine operative for the German Empire. The film pivots from a domestic drama into a high-stakes geopolitical thriller as Durham uncovers Myers' machinations to destabilize the American-Mexican border. This discovery precipitates a frantic journey to the Southwest, where Durham’s physical prowess—hitherto dismissed by the army—becomes his primary weapon against a cohort of bandits. The resolution is a race against time, oscillating between the dusty plains of New Mexico and the high-society altars of New York, as Durham attempts to thwart a forced marriage between Barbara and a German spy, ultimately reclaiming both his dignity and his beloved through a display of individualistic heroism that transcends bureaucratic validation.