A very intense war movie experience

Rating: 8/10 (8 May 2015)

While I was certainly aware of it, this film brings home the horrible brutality of tank warfare. The constant expectation of fiery death must make one rather fatalistic. Aside from the modern tendency toward excessive gore, this movie was evocative of war films from the Fifties and Sixties. Pretty decent acting all around, led by the low-key Brad Pitt. A couple of notes on plot holes. By April 1945, the German army was extremely depleted due to the millions of casualties sustained up to that point, doubtless including even Waffen SS units. So the extreme expertise that some have speculated about in previous comments may be exaggerated. However, as has also been noted, no military unit will allow itself to be chewed to pieces by immobile troops in a defensive position that can easily be bypassed. This has been military doctrine since the Hittites. Still a very intense war movie experience.