"Ideals are peaceful. History is violent."

Rating: 8/10 (20 October 2014)

Fury is a brutal look at the men who find themselves stuck in the death traps known as tanks, in WWII. Brad Pitt leads those men on various missions and they just lost one of their own. A typist, who has never seen the war on the front lines, never killed man, never even fired a gun, is thrown into the tank, that these men call Fury. First, he has to clean out the blood and guts from his seat, the previous person in there has left pieces of himself all over, including part of his face.
Yes, Fury is gory, violent and relentless. It doesn't sugar coat the war and it shouldn't. Not only do people die left right and centre, but they do so in cruel and terrifying ways. One particular death that comes to mind is when a soldier would rather shoot himself in the head than burn alive. It's a shocking moment that makes you realize the horrors of our history. History is indeed violent.
Logan Lerman is Norman Ellison, the boy barely shaves and he is thrust into battle not knowing what to do. He is against killing anyone, it's against his morals, he simply cannot do it. That is until Pitt forces him, against his will, to kill a German soldier who pleads for his life. Another depressingly realistic scene in a film full of them. Pitt knows that if he doesn't break this kid down, he will be the death of Pitt's entire crew. His crew consists of a religious gunner, an impressive Shia LaBeouf, a hot headed redneck prone to outbursts, an outstanding Jon Bernthal and their driver who is consistently drunk, the always reliable Michael Pena. These men follow the orders of WarDaddy, a scarred and nobel Brad Pitt. People might try to relate his performance to Lt. Aldo Raine from Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds, but the two are very different. He puts on a confident and brave face for his men, but behind the tough exterior is a scared man, who only admits his fear once. He predictably takes Lerman under his wing, the typical father-son relationship ensues, but aside from that and a clichÃ©d "follow the leader at the darkest hour" scene, the film is a fresh take on the WWII genre.
I say a fresh take because the focus is on the claustrophobic dynamic relationship these men have within the confines of the tank. I loved all the scenes that had me stuck inside with them. You feel the intensity in every moment. Ayer knows this and shoots the scene well enough so that even though you feel trapped, you never get lost or feel that you need to get out of the tank. When Ayer does take us out, he shows the risks and dangers of not being protected by Fury's walls. Even when you think you're safe, moments later you're not. Ayer shows his skill for the battle and the slow moving tanks make for heightened suspense.
Fury doesn't match the levels of Saving Private Ryan, but it's a realistic take on a time where good and bad men on BOTH sides of the war fought for what they believed in. Fury is entertaining and harrowing at the same time.