“Fury”
Runtime: 134 Minutes
Rated: Rated R for strong sequences of war violence and language
Cast: Brad Pitt, Shia LeBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon bernthal
Oh look, it’s another World War II movie. Just what the world needs, right?
Since before the war even ended, Hollywood has loved making World War II movies. World War II offers a level of moral clarity that later wars cannot claim. The Allies are the good guys, the Nazis are the bad guys. Given the sheer volume of good or great World War II movies, it is noteworthy when one is added to the ranks that has a different and worthwhile perspective. “Fury” is such a movie.
“Fury” tells the tale of sergeant named Don “Wardaddy” Collier who commands a M4A3E8 Sherman tank called “Fury” and its five man crew. The film puts the viewer right in the middle of the final months of the war during the post D-Day push across Europe.
The newest member of the crew is newly enlisted typist Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman). Norman serves as the surrogate for the audience. He is a normal young man put into extraordinary circumstances, and the audience witnesses as that situation transforms him from that unassuming young man into a hardened soldier. Lerman is appropriately understated in the role, and is a believable everyman.
The entire cast is excellent. Pitt is convincing as a leader, and LeBeuof reminds us that he is not just a troubled actor, he is a great actor.
Writer and Director David Ayer brings a unique take to the familiar war movie genre by focusing on the battles between allied and axis tanks, rather than infantry. “Fury” (the tank, not the film) becomes a character and we are taken inside as the crew battles the larger and superior German “Tiger” tank.
Other movies have depicted the senseless brutality of war, but few do so as effectively as this. The battle scenes are terrifying, but expertly crafted. War changes people. This is something that we know, but this movie attempts to show you why and how.
On my scale of one to ten, with one being the worst, five being the best, and 10 being the worst again, I give “Fury” a 4.5 with an emoticon based sub ranking of: speachless.
