Engaging and Exciting Look Through a Soldier's Eyes

Rating: 8/10 (1 November 2014)

Fury is a blatant critique of war. While neither a bold or unique position to take, making WWII seem like more than just the justified good guys fighting the inhuman bad guys is no easy feat. Director Ayers has managed to really get into the heads of his characters, deftly showing the momentary boredom, the constant confusion and the incessant fear that come in battle. With a weighty and unglamorous bleakness, Fury stands out as a truly engaging and exciting look through the eyes of a soldier. Ayers and his talented cast have gathered a compelling and fairly accurate collection of war-torn men. Our door into this group is Norman (a well-casted Lerman), a mouse-y new recruit completely out of his element. Without the use of extensive backstory or flashbacks, we are fully engulfed in his brain through heart-wrenchingly intense introductions. Led by a strong and assured Pitt, the camaraderie of the group of weary warriors is palpably honest, but not without moments of natural fun. Rampant with melodrama, the confusion of war almost warrants it. Thankfully these guys are not cookie-cutter Hollywood heroes, but real men, complimented beautifully by the "antagonistic" yet utterly human German soldiers. If anything these themes of the humanity within real war are lacking in subtlety, but it's a point well-taken nonetheless. Action wise, I never would've thought tank scenes could be so packed with heart-pounding intensity and exhilaration while staying deeply personal. It's grimy and gory, but never to the point of inappropriate gratuity. So even in its slight downfalls of tropes and predictability, Fury is visceral and individual action-war filmmaking that delivers.