Superb

Rating: 9/10 (19 October 2014)

The last couple of years have been rough for me. I even asked myself if I should be going to a movie like this at all. But curiosity overwhelmed me. My expectations weren't high, but I had a vague hope that at least the production values looked good from the trailers. I didn't expect more than that.
I have to admit that I liked this film far more than I expected to. It was excellent all around with few sour notes and those are too minor for most people to ever notice.
To begin, the score, art direction, sets, set decoration, makeup, costuming and cinematography were superb. The cinematography was what, in my opinion, really made the look of the film. It took the most barbaric, brutish of subjects and made it visually glorious. It was really beautifully done; definitely Oscar worthy.
The sound and sound effects were excellent throughout; especially difficult in this type of film. Location selection seemed to fit perfectly as well.
That brings me direction and acting. David Ayer directed as well as wrote the script. Perhaps that made the direction part of the effort easier; no arguments with the writers! He's known for some fairly good action films; of which this is now the best.
The primary actors, Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, and Jon Bernthal all had significant screen time. All of them were superb with this material; with Pitt shining the most. His blunt portrayal is spot on to some actual soldiers I've known quite well. Congratulations Mr. Pitt; you deserve some recognition from your peers for this. If you don't get that - which seems unthinkable - you at least have my thanks. I found myself wondering, as I almost never do, where Pitt, LaBeouf and Lerman found within themselves the appropriate and terrific emotions for the job they did. I can't imagine it being easy for them at all; which somewhat adds to the experience of watching them.
The rest of the cast were quite good as well, especially Peña; and Bernthal may actually be somewhat hurt by his excellent portrayal, such was the degree of unpleasantness he elicited.
Two ladies, Anamaria Marinca as Irma and Alicia Von Rittberg as her cousin Emma; were excellent in the small dialog they were given to work with. Both had to convey a great deal through unspoken action and I could almost taste their discomfort and fear. This was especially true of Marinca for me. I couldn't take my eyes off of her when she was on screen; especially in closeup.
For the rest, for me this was so realistic it teetered on the edge of uncomfortable, being too close to some exceedingly unpleasant personal memories; especially with the great sound effects. I especially liked the job they did of bringing the MG42 and Ma Deuce to life. Congratulations for a job well done!
For older ladies in the audience, I can hold this film up as an example of why many veterans do not talk about their experiences. They are too inhumanly ghastly to withstand explanation to those without such experience, and trying to find the words to explain things is just too emotionally draining.
All of this ads up to a great movie going experience. I hope you can enjoy the film. I may have a few nightmares; but I handle those better than I used to.