Fury English Movie
War is a terrible, terrible thing. War films, on the other hand, usually make for great (if a bit generic) viewing. Two films that pop into your mind when you think of this genre are Saving Private Ryan and The Hurt Locker. Fury is similar to those two and many other war films in some ways, but it is a distinct piece of cinema in many others.
The film follows Don Collier aka "Wardaddy" (Brad Pitt), as he leads his platoon on a killing excursion behind enemy lines in Nazi Germany during World War II. His team is joined by a fresh-faced rookie Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman) who has been reassigned from a job as a typing clerk. Together, they take down the opposing army's soldiers from their tank called Fury.
Fury has pretty much the same things to say about war, how it changes you, how it makes you a man, how it's your responsibility towards your country to kill people. The inside of a tank is like a home to the soldiers. As one character aptly puts it, war's not about good or bad, it's about killing your enemies before they kill you. But where the film's graph diverges from others is in its bleak, no-holds-barred, take-no-prisoners approach in depicting the depravities that are committed by otherwise good people when at war.
It doesn't shy away from shedding blood. In fact, the film wants to make your stomach churn on seeing dead bodies carried around like sacks of grains, or that soldiers would rather kill themselves than be captured by their enemies. Other soldiers are called "meat per bullet" by one character. But rather than being put off by the death count or the undoubtedly screwed up logic of the platoon soldiers, you empathize with characters as they shed a tear for their lost comrades or recount tales of the horrors they had to commit that still haunt them.
Humor usually plays some part in such films to offset the grim atmosphere, but Fury offers little comic relief as you bear witness to the brutality of war. And this consistency of tone works for the film, as you are kept transfixed by scene after scene of tanks battling each other, buildings exploding, bullets being fired and bodies piling up by the dozens.
The only time during the it's 134-minute length that you feel the film is trying too hard is during the first half of an extended sequence involving two German women, which just doesn't come off as convincingly as director David Ayer would've hoped.
Apart from that, David Ayer does a fabulous job of directing the film. There are many sequences that have been handled in a way that reflect a remarkable clarity of thought and deftness on his part. He builds the camaraderie between the crew of Fury (the tank) in a less obvious way than is expected, and he makes you root for the main characters, even though they are basically vicious killers. Even though you know from the very beginning how the film is likely to end, Ayer puts the climax together so beautifully that you actually forgive it for its predictability.
Brad Pitt is very impressive in the role of Wardaddy, the leader of the pack who has a tough exterior, but also has his moments of weakness that he manages to keep bottled up in front of his platoon. Pitt manages to rest the film on his shoulders with his fierce act. Shia LaBeouf, for all his off-screen theatrics, does a great job as the bible-chanting but otherwise silent Boyd Swan. He manages to convey a lot through his eyes and expressions.
Logan Lerman is captivating as Norman Ellison, the rookie who realizes he is in way over his head. He's pretty much the embodiment of the film's moral dilemma, and he manages to shoulder that responsibility ably. Michael Pena and Jon Bernthal make up the rest of Fury's crew, and they add a lot of life to the proceedings as the soldiers who've been morally compromised by the war, but are still committed to their duty towards their country.
Despite its lengthy running time, you never once look at your watch impatiently, which is a huge achievement for the film. It keeps you emotionally involved with the fate of its characters, keeps you hooked till the very end and gives you food for thought when you leave the theater. Add to that great performances and some badass action sequences involving tanks, and there's a great time to be had this weekend at a cinema near you.
