Fury is Not a Film to be Missed (Film Class Review)

Rating: 9/10 (29 October 2014)

Fury is the remarkable story of five American soldiers who single handedly take on the German army at the end of WWII. David Ayer directed one of the most raw and real depictions of the brutality of war and the closeness of a tank crew ever depicted. This film captures the sense of forged brotherhood that only war can bring about in its grim, bloody and unrelenting terror. The film is an "in your face" experience you experience up close every bullet, every explosion, every death; even the claustrophobia of the tank as if you were there. This intense imagery is needed for a film of this measure, so if scenes from Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, U571 or Lone Survivor put you off in any way it is nothing compared to the realism and brutality you witness in this film. Brad Pitt's performance as a ravaged war veteran is outstanding; Shia LaBeouf and Logan Letterman deliver some of the best performances in their careers in this film. You belief in their characters, you relate, and you want them to succeed. The choice of Jon Bernthal for such a crucial character in this film in my opinion was probably the only let down for me in this film. Bernthal delivers a character that he isn't ready for in his career. The acting seems too noticeable and is overall distracting and at some points annoying at how hard he tries to deliver the intensity of the character. However that being said Bernthal's character is balanced out by Michael Pena's performance of the tank driver. Each of these actors give their all in roles in every scene so you believe them every step of the way. Ayer has an extremely keen eye for chemistry on screen and he directs each of these actors to deliver performances that are well beyond anything that could be scripted. The effects and cinematography of this film are a knockout in every sense and I'm sure will earn the film some highly deserved awards. A different user described it best:" Overall, Fury is a brutal war film that shows war exactly how it should be shown. It's disturbing, it's violent, it's scary. Fury really hits a home run between the sweeping cinematography, the phenomenal performances and the near perfect direction, it is one hell of a film that shouldn't be missed."