Could have been so much more

Rating: 6/10 (14 December 2019)

The most frustrating part of this entire movie, more than anything else, is that it was so close to greatness, and let a couple of weird lapses in judgment drag it down to "not a total waste of time but not great at all" territory.
There are lots and lots of subtle little things that this movie likes to do that elevate it above most other war movies. The sky is perpetually grey and cloudy, the times the sun shines are extremely rare, and you better believe that that was intentional. The "good guys", the American tankers, are barely-restrained animals, with rotting teeth, frayed clothing, permanent filth in their hair and on their faces, etc. The movie at large does a really great job of showing the more animal side of warfare, insofar as how an extended period of total warfare can twist even the most righteous person into a growling barbarian.
The acting is all well above average, to the last actor. Brad Pitt is a personal favorite and as the weird, violent but caring Wardaddy he is a natural. A total prick, a fierce warrior and a harsh taskmaster, he swings between screaming, slavering killer and protective father figure. Pitt himself did a great job of showing that his character wasn't always that way; there is a scene where his civilization shines through and it's actually touching. Shia LaBoeuf does a top-notch job as the proselytizing "straight man", trying to stay right with God while doing as much damage to the Reich as possible. It's magical and I honestly feel that this is LaBoeuf's best performance of his life. The scenes where the tank crew jokes around and messes with one another are great and do a fantastic job of showing how close five men can get when they live, fight and die together in a closed, dark and dangerous casket like a Sherman.
Why isn't this a 10/10 then? Because for all the amazing stage-setting they do, for all the trials and hardships and laughs we experience with this close-knit tank family, there are a few scenes that are so creatively and fundamentally bankrupt that they completely and utterly obliterate the setting and tone. There is a truly touching and genuinely incredible scene about halfway through the movie, and it makes you think, makes you feel, it's amazing. Then five minutes later there's a huge explosion and that scene is literally destroyed, no reason, no warning. I understand it's probably meant to show how random and senseless war can be, but I left that scene thinking "man, what a waste of time". Maybe it just went over my head though.
Finally, I'm sure there are hundreds of other reviews about this, but the final scene is so unbelievably stupid it boggles the mind, and I am absolutely gobsmacked that this somehow made it past the scriptwriter. In fifteen short minutes all suspensions of disbelief are instantly dismantled and all the stage-setting that was done is hurled out a window. The dumbest, least sensical ending I have ever seen for a war movie, and I've seen some pretty damn dumb movies.
Overall a movie worth watching, but it's more notable for how good it could have been and almost was.