Fury
What’s it about?
It’s April 1945 in Germany and Sergeant Don “Wardaddy” Collier leads his crew and tank (named Fury) behind enemy lines. Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman) a clerk who’s been in the army eight weeks is assigned to Fury as their assistant driver as they move through Germany protecting key Allied strongholds.
What did we think?
Casey says: Graphic, confronting, revolting, and touching all at the same time, Fury shows the worst and the best of the people thrust unwillingly into war. I started watching this thinking it would be entertainment – a touching story of good triumphing over evil… with cool explosions. Instead I left the cinema thinking about what war has the capacity to do to people… aaaaaand marveling at the awesome explosions and disappearing heads.
Fury is a World War II movie that is simultaneously more and less than it appears. At a glance director David Ayer’s (Training Day, End Of Watch) film is exploration of the lengths people are driven to during warfare and how a lot of little pieces add up to a much bigger story. But on a far simpler level it’s a basic tale of a sergeant determined to keep his tank crew alive.
He has the prerequisites for a hero – talent, intelligence and looks (this IS Brad Pitt we’re talking about after all) but there’s a subtle undertone of how he’s more the hero we need than the hero we want. He’s not as idealistic as we usually expect and nor is he actually very complex. In fact there are more hints of him having a dark side than there are of him being the squeaky clean protagonist we are often served up in movies like this.
His moral compass is squarely set on obeying orders and keeping his men alive. Everything else is unimportant and flexible. This far more human approach is incredibly refreshing and although I think it’s a touch TOO underplayed, Ayers deserves credit for keeping the tone of the film grounded.
The film is gritty, brutal and unrelenting but you find yourself caught up in the characters and the unique situation they’re in so it’s confronting rather than traumatic.
Special mention need be made of Shia LaBeouf. Honestly he’s an actor I’m not overly fond of but here he shines as the bible-thumping contrast and his character provides a glorious contrast.
It’s an interesting exploration of morality with some PTSD thrown in or a simple tale of a group of heroes prepared to sacrifice themselves for a greater good? Whichever way you see it, Fury is a film that will linger with you for some time.
Fury is truly moving, showcasing the destruction of humans, the empathy and indifference of others and that when all else fails, relationships can form from nothing. Love it or hate it, the film will move you all the same.