Movie review: Fury

Posted on 23 October, 2014

April, 1945 – the Allies make their final push into Germany, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their crew, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds. imdb

I would not call myself ‘typical’ of my age or gender in my preference for particular movies – but is anyone ‘typical’?

I enjoy action, I enjoy drama, comedy and sometimes even rom-coms. I have also seen a lot of war films. Some with my dad or my husband. Some because of my own interest in military history, particularly Australian history, and some because I am drawn to the depiction of the human condition in wartime.

Which is my way of saying I am not sure how many HerCanberra readers are potential audience for this film. I cannot recommend it by saying you will enjoy it but if you are prepared for an engrossing, if daunting, story it will move you.

It is not your typical American heroic claptrap nor is it out to prove a point or push a version of history. But it does show the dehumanizing effect of long-term conflict on a small, tightly knit group of soldiers, in this case a tank crew. Men who have nothing in common who have been shoved together in a tiny space and must completely rely on each other to stay alive.

When the film starts their tank, called ‘Fury’, returns to American lines as the only survivor of a big push into enemy territory. So the writer/director, David Ayer, throws the audience into the deep and desperate end of World War 2. He shows their loss but also the callousness of the Americans as well as the desperation of the Nazi regime – losing a war but unwilling to give up, even when their own people have had enough.

Brad Pitt’s character is not a philosopher or super human, he is a man doing the job he was told to do. He kills Germans. However he also loves his men, even when he doesn’t like the way they behave. He is brilliant in the role, clearly depicting that internal conflict.

Shia LaBeouf is so, so effective – even heartbreaking – as ‘Bible’, and apparently such a method actor that his red-rimmed eyes are real. He stayed awake for days so that his exhaustion would be real onscreen. That’s dedication.

Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson) as the rookie cements his place as the young actor to watch (my prediction) because he can more than hold his own in this company as well as in lighter roles. Michael Peña (American Hustle) and John Bernthal (Walking Dead) round out the crew and give their roles a lot of oomph.

In fact every actor in every role, no matter how small, takes the whole story very, very seriously. Xavier Samuel is only onscreen for a few minutes but he is great and the two German women are wonderful.

This is raw, it is loud and it is about war. Be prepared for that.

There are intense characterisations; there is the authenticity that comes with using real tanks, real weapons and real mud; there is the heartbreak of what humans can inflict on other humans. But most of all, like the great Blackhawk Down, there is the story of human endeavor and endurance in desperate circumstances.

I was moved.

Roslyn saw this film as a guest of Dendy Cinemas.