A Very Gritty Antiwar War Movie

Rating: Null/10 (11 June 2017)

This superbly written film impressed me as perhaps the grittiest, hardest-to-watch war movie I've seen. It does embrace a lot of clichés surrounding the Greatest Generation, yet the writing makes the actions of the characters plausible. Well acted, well written and well directed, it offers riveting viewing.
In order to prevail during the war, the officer in charge of a tank (played by Brad Pitt) and his men force themselves to view the world in very stark terms. The tank commander does not hesitate to commit violence to achieve his military objectives, even to the point of abandoning law sometimes. He compels a younger soldier joining his team to adopt this view, even though as the plot unfolds it appears the tank commander does subscribe to essentially the same value system as the younger man. The film suggests the ability to maintain an idealistic (and ethical) society perhaps ultimately rests upon the willingness to enforce the rules of a just society, something the Nazis has completely abandoned. The Allied forces found themselves meeting violence with violence. For instance, after capturing a German town the American tank commander asked a terrified municipal official to point out the German officer responsible for hanging children so his men could exact swift retribution.
I thought the acting and special effects contributed to the overall effectiveness of the plot. "Fury" displayed the cruelty of WWII against the backdrop of human foibles and strengths. It highlights both the senselessness of violence and its recurring role in arbitrating geopolitical affairs. One line from this movie particularly seemed to encapsulate its message: "Ideals are peaceful, history is violent." The closing scene vividly depicts the wastefulness and cruelty of warfare, while also acknowledging the critical role of individual acts of self-sacrifice and mercy in promoting survival.