Heroic Fantasy War.
A movie set in the end stages of World War II in the war torn parts of Germany, this film is the journey of an American Sherman tank and its 5-man crew and how they scouted, conquered small towns and defended them before the Allies made the final move against the Nazis. The script is quite simple and it very nicely describes how the condition of war soldiers is, how they spend their free time and more importantly, how kids are thrown into war. These very important aspects of a war are very well taken care of by the makers of this film. The story doesn't waver much; it sticks to its simple plot and fulfills the aspect of an entertainer and heroism adding to its war genre.
The best part of the film was its violence. Not that violence is good but it showed the real power of ammunition. Heads, legs, eyes, etc being shot and flying off and bursting with single bullets was just beautiful. It just went one up over the Expendables. The dead men lying all over the battlefield was again shown very well. The movie went in with very good cinematography and direction and it surely paid off very well. The tanks used were fabulous. The Sherman and the Tiger, this is one of those very few rare movies which showed proper tanks and their usage. Really great job with the tanks.
There was one major thing in the movie that personally was a little disappointing. I am not sure about the science of it but all gun shots, blasts, tank missiles fired looked as if it was Star Wars happening on Land. Frankly, that was the first thing that came to my mind after laser blasts. As I said, I am not sure of how these things really work but I found this really unrealistic and they could have done so much more to get rid of it and probably show something much more realistic than a laser show in 1945. Really disappointing.
Other than that, I think everything in the movie pretty much went as planned for the makers. The background score was very apt and the noise of war, ammunition, etc came out very well. It wasn't too loud, not too soft, just what was needed. The locations used for filming might not give the perfect view of Germany but they gave a very nice view of how units and tanks travel in an opponent’s land, anticipating interceptions along the way. That was shown particularly well with lush green locations chosen to hide the enemies well.
The cast was a really good one and all of them did their parts extremely well, perfectly fitting into their roles and showing us the grievances and lives of war soldiers.
Shia LeBeouf was the outstanding performer of this tank crew. Not a role particularly suited for him, he owned it. Nicknamed the Bible, his role was of that one guy who is always there, reading the bible, speaking out vital lines from it according to situations and praying to God after those kills. He did a fantastic job and it’s nice to see him doing different kinds of roles.
Brad Pitt plays Wardaddy, the oldest of the crew and their leader who forms a soft corner for the youngest and newest member. He has done such roles before and didn't do anything new in this. He had those same expressions which we see him in many movies and there wasn't anything different or great about him.
Michael Pena plays the main driver and the funny guy in the crew. He had his usual one-liners, couple of Spanish ones and of course his alcohol with him. He did his job just like always not letting anyone down.
Jon Bernthal was the bad ass of the crew. He didn't cut anyone any slack and his appearance helped his role a lot. Definitely the make-up team did a great job with him as it helped him play that role much better than expected.
Logan Lerman plays the new recruit in the team. The boy who got thrust into war just like many other youngsters forms a relation with Wardaddy and his journey is most important in this as it shows the early struggles of war soldiers and the sacrifices they need to make, the things they need to learn and the emotions they need to get rid of. He did a very good job, much better than Percy Jackson almost to the level of Wallflower.
I have pointed out the movie as Heroic and entertaining as it adapts to Bollywood style by giving most importance to its lead actors and the level of importance and roles falling as your name comes further down the list. This is something everyone will understand after watching the movie, especially its ending which I do not support much as it side tracks to emotional appeal and heroism even though that is one of the most important part of war movies. The end kind of does not justify the movie and its reason for being there other than the soldier's journey.
The part where the soldiers enjoy, drink and sleep with random women after winning over towns has been shown very well. A short part of the movie which speaks a lot of the life of a war soldier and the very things they have to please or entertain them during a war. It has been depicted very well in the movie, one motive showcased very well.
Overall it is a very good film. The violence is excessive so surely another movie which is not for the light-hearted or non-violent folks around. People who like wars and history would surely love this one; it’s just made for them. The violence lovers too would have a knack for this one though the rest can just let this pass unless they are ready for a good war classic. Worth the money.
4/5 Stars.
"Best job I've ever had."
- Kothi
A movie set in the end stages of World War II in the war torn parts of Germany, this film is the journey of an American Sherman tank and its 5-man crew and how they scouted, conquered small towns and defended them before the Allies made the final move against the Nazis. The script is quite simple and it very nicely describes how the condition of war soldiers is, how they spend their free time and more importantly, how kids are thrown into war. These very important aspects of a war are very well taken care of by the makers of this film. The story doesn't waver much; it sticks to its simple plot and fulfills the aspect of an entertainer and heroism adding to its war genre.
The best part of the film was its violence. Not that violence is good but it showed the real power of ammunition. Heads, legs, eyes, etc being shot and flying off and bursting with single bullets was just beautiful. It just went one up over the Expendables. The dead men lying all over the battlefield was again shown very well. The movie went in with very good cinematography and direction and it surely paid off very well. The tanks used were fabulous. The Sherman and the Tiger, this is one of those very few rare movies which showed proper tanks and their usage. Really great job with the tanks.
There was one major thing in the movie that personally was a little disappointing. I am not sure about the science of it but all gun shots, blasts, tank missiles fired looked as if it was Star Wars happening on Land. Frankly, that was the first thing that came to my mind after laser blasts. As I said, I am not sure of how these things really work but I found this really unrealistic and they could have done so much more to get rid of it and probably show something much more realistic than a laser show in 1945. Really disappointing.
Other than that, I think everything in the movie pretty much went as planned for the makers. The background score was very apt and the noise of war, ammunition, etc came out very well. It wasn't too loud, not too soft, just what was needed. The locations used for filming might not give the perfect view of Germany but they gave a very nice view of how units and tanks travel in an opponent’s land, anticipating interceptions along the way. That was shown particularly well with lush green locations chosen to hide the enemies well.
The cast was a really good one and all of them did their parts extremely well, perfectly fitting into their roles and showing us the grievances and lives of war soldiers.
Shia LeBeouf was the outstanding performer of this tank crew. Not a role particularly suited for him, he owned it. Nicknamed the Bible, his role was of that one guy who is always there, reading the bible, speaking out vital lines from it according to situations and praying to God after those kills. He did a fantastic job and it’s nice to see him doing different kinds of roles.
Brad Pitt plays Wardaddy, the oldest of the crew and their leader who forms a soft corner for the youngest and newest member. He has done such roles before and didn't do anything new in this. He had those same expressions which we see him in many movies and there wasn't anything different or great about him.
Michael Pena plays the main driver and the funny guy in the crew. He had his usual one-liners, couple of Spanish ones and of course his alcohol with him. He did his job just like always not letting anyone down.
Jon Bernthal was the bad ass of the crew. He didn't cut anyone any slack and his appearance helped his role a lot. Definitely the make-up team did a great job with him as it helped him play that role much better than expected.
Logan Lerman plays the new recruit in the team. The boy who got thrust into war just like many other youngsters forms a relation with Wardaddy and his journey is most important in this as it shows the early struggles of war soldiers and the sacrifices they need to make, the things they need to learn and the emotions they need to get rid of. He did a very good job, much better than Percy Jackson almost to the level of Wallflower.
I have pointed out the movie as Heroic and entertaining as it adapts to Bollywood style by giving most importance to its lead actors and the level of importance and roles falling as your name comes further down the list. This is something everyone will understand after watching the movie, especially its ending which I do not support much as it side tracks to emotional appeal and heroism even though that is one of the most important part of war movies. The end kind of does not justify the movie and its reason for being there other than the soldier's journey.
The part where the soldiers enjoy, drink and sleep with random women after winning over towns has been shown very well. A short part of the movie which speaks a lot of the life of a war soldier and the very things they have to please or entertain them during a war. It has been depicted very well in the movie, one motive showcased very well.
Overall it is a very good film. The violence is excessive so surely another movie which is not for the light-hearted or non-violent folks around. People who like wars and history would surely love this one; it’s just made for them. The violence lovers too would have a knack for this one though the rest can just let this pass unless they are ready for a good war classic. Worth the money.
4/5 Stars.
"Best job I've ever had."
- Kothi