A Fantastic War Film Comparable to Saving Private Ryan and Platoon

Rating: 9/10 (13 May 2016)

Fury is directed by David Ayer and stars Brad Pitt as Don "Wardaddy" Collier, the leader of an American World War II tank squad. During this time, German tanks were very superior that of the American models, so being in a tank squad was a hard job to commit to. However, once Logan Lerman's character, a drafted clerk named Norman, is assigned to Wardaddy's tank squad, he learns the true nature of war, and just some of the horrible things humans can do to one another.
I would, in a heartbeat, call Fury one of the best war films ever made. Fury almost perfectly follows in the footsteps of other legendary war films such as Saving Private Ryan (1998) and Platoon (1986), which are both recognized as amazing feats in filmmaking. Fury is very close to perfect, and does almost everything right. Besides one very small issue, I loved every single minute of Fury, and felt that it's a fantastic movie.
The absolute best thing about Fury is the comradery between the men in the tank squad. The close friendship between Wardaddy (Pitt), Bible (Shia LaBeouf), Gordo (Michael Pena), Coon-A*s (Jon Bernthal), and, eventually, Norman (Lerman) is incredible. Due to the comradery expressed between the men, the audience begins to feel for each and every character, and have large amounts of both sorrow and pity on their behalfs. All of the actors do great as well. Fury is Logan Lerman's best work to date, being slightly better than that of his performance in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), and way better than the Percy Jackson series. Brad Pitt also does amazing, as usual, along with Michael Pena and Jon Bernthal. Although I don't like him as an actor, I do have to say that Shia LaBeouf did really good in his role. His character was near flawlessly well rounded, and I felt for him and his situation.
The direction, by David Ayer, is amazing. Each and every shot of just how grotesque and awful war really is was shown magnificently, and brought a harsh realness to Fury. Also, however small the tank may be, the direction impressively seemed to enlarge it, as if there was actually room for five grown men to live regularly. The tank, called "Fury," is given the feel of a home, and begins to feel comforting to both the characters and the audience. However, it also feels claustrophobic, which was a great movie on Ayer's part. While giving the tank room to open up, it also felt very closed, which was a great aspect of Fury.
My only real problem with Fury was a small portion in the middle of the second act in which roughly twenty minutes of the runtime takes place in one small apartment. Although we learn insightful things about our characters, and the scene does feel necessary, it tends to drag on incredibly, near boring the viewer, and makes the film seem a lot longer than it actually is. This sequence was good, no doubt about it, but it was too long, and dragged on to the point of slight exasperation.
The last point I'll make about Fury is the gruesome aspect of it. Although some people can't handle over the top violence, Fury goes for the R rating with open arms. The war violence is over the top, almost to the point of insanity, but it gives a realistic feel to the film, as well as adding some gut wrenching scenes of death and destruction. Not everyone likes violence in movies, and that's understandable, but, for a war film like Fury, it works in every way possible. The extreme violence is acceptable for Fury, because of the point it tries to express: war is bad. War is disgusting, grotesque, and not a pretty thing. However, as humans, we have to accept that as a fact of life. This message is wonderfully displayed through the utmost violence and death.
Overall, Fury really is a great movie. Almost everything about it works in a positive way, and there's much enjoyment, and a good message, to be had in it. I'd recommend Fury to anyone who can handle a large amount of war violence.