When it comes to movies, it’s safe to say that World War II is the most popular “just” war the world has experienced. There were reasons, the heroes, the villains and sentiments. Countless stories, books and movies have documented the history. The legacy of cinema’s take on WWII continues with latest attempt movie Fury, starring Brad Pitt.
The title is taken from the name of the American tank featured in the film, a major plot point. The movie follows the tank’s crew during the last days of WWII in Germany. The crew consists of a tough sergeant (Brad Pitt), a gunner (Shia Labeouf), a loader (Jon Bernthal), the tank driver (Michael Peña) and a new inexperienced recruit (Logan Lerman). Their mission is to push forward toward Berlin with the Second Armored Division, rounding up or killing as many Nazis as possible.
The main focus of the movie is Lerman’s role as the recruit, who goes through a bitter phase; from being a softie to a hard-bitten soldier. His experiences with the crew are tough at first, after refusing to kill a surrendering German soldier, but they grudgingly respect him as he hardens to reflect his crew: resilient and ruthless.
Fury isn’t for the soft. The team fights teenage soldiers and invade the home of two German women and torment them with crazed war-like attitudes. The climax is a bloody, fiery battle between the five man crew and 300 German soldiers.
“Ideals is peaceful, history is violent” Pitt, as the sergeant, said brutishly, which becomes the movie’s framing quote. Fury is all about brutality, insanity and the strong bonds between the soldiers.
It also points out the senseless decisions made in war. The tank’s mission seems pointless when victory is at hand, but the crew are willing to continue taking on the enemy. Their patriotic duty and courage contrasts with their hardened personalities, which makes Fury sometimes difficult to watch. But it’s unabashed when it comes to addressing war’s impact on people.
Writer-director David Ayer has the talent for violence and horrifying images. Images of a man engulfed in flames shooting himself and a soldier cleaning up the tank with half of a soldier’s face lying splat stick with the audience. He also gets good camaraderie and performances from the cast, bringing out more depth and serious skill in Pitt compared to his role in Inglorious Basterds.
Fury is just an average war movie, filled with the usual stereotypes # the tough sergeant, the cocky New Yorker and the God-believing soldier # conventional nitty-gritty action, obvious gung-ho speeches and other clichés to be expected. But its ferocious intensity raises Fury above-average and without irony.
Fury is no great WWII film like Saving Private Ryan, but action fans, the military and WWII buffs should receive it well.
