Verdict:
So there is a moment in the movie when the heroes are up against overwhelming odds and the leader decides to stay and tells his men to go, but the men refuse to leave their commander, as the emotional music plays in the background. I mentally checked the heroic comradery checkbox on my list of war movie cliché’s, where half the checkboxes were already checked by this point.
Besides this cliché and a few others, showing us how bad war is, in case you didn’t know, there is unfortunately not a whole lot to this movie. What is this movie about? About a tank crew, making their way through the occupied France. What does that crew do? They kill a bunch of Germans. The sacrifice made by the main characters does not feel like it’s for something specific. Many of the events and much of the dialogue feel forced, like the movie is trying to find something of substance to add, to make things seem more awesome or meaningful than they actually are.
The good part about this film is its polish. The camera work is solid. You can tell what’s going on and there are plenty of epic shots. The music is grand, having that classic instrument foundation but also layered with good atmospheric effects. The action feels weighty, despite the battles having a small scale. There is at least one really cool tank fight. Famously, the film features the last known operational Tiger tank in addition to real Shermans.
Cannot complain about the acting either. With Brad Pit at the lead, you are guaranteed a solid performance, but his support crew are all doing a good job as well. The character played by Michael Peña is funny but not so funny as to be overbearing. As with the rest of the movie, unfortunately there is nothing special about these guys. The naive noobie gunner at the centre of the film is a walking stereotype of that type of character. The others are just blanks. There is one scene that feels like it serves to give a bit more background to the rest of the tank crew, but it ultimately does not deliver.
Is it a very realistic war film? Well, it has a scene or two that treat the enemy with a lot of respect and show the dirt of war, but the film can’t help but revert to the superhero Americans theme, most of the world has grown sick of.
So in the end, I am asking myself: “What am I watching this for?” My eyes are enjoying the atmosphere and the performances and the tense action. Is that enough? I keep watching so maybe it is.
Maybe in the end we need more movies that aren’t about something. Pretentious epic movies have in themselves become a bit of a cliché in modern times. This film flows logically, looks good and doesn’t overstay its welcome. If you are interested in World War II or in tanks then this is a must see.