Just another well made war movie

Rating: 8/10 (1 April 2016)

Ideals are peaceful, but history is always violent. And the history of humanity has been violent as hell. What is it in us that we fight over land, women and wealth? It is survival? Or is it the sense of power? These are some things I wonder about usually in a war movie. Fury was no different.
Fury, released in 2014 is about an US Army Sergeant, Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) and his crew of 5 men. One of them is a rookie who was trained as a typewriter but was enlisted in the war. The story is about the last leg of the allies marching into Germany with Wardaddy and his Sherman tank called Fury. It shows the soft side of Wardaddy and his seasoned group of men and traverses how the kid, a typist, turns from his ideals to violence for survival.
Story - There are parts in the movie that give you the chills. Like the story Gordo narrates at the table of the German house and makes you wonder just how violent and disturbed men and women become during war.Wars wound you psychologically and those wounds probably never heal.It also shows little instance of normality like Norman thinks he can stay in touch with the young woman he met in Germany after the war. Something I am sure many men would have liked to hold on to. Shows a multitude of emotions - fear, wrath, cruelty, warmth, generosity and rage. Some of it is unbelievable like the climax where they show one tank battling an entire regiment. That is where Fury lost out for me.
Acting - I think the performances are stellar. Each of the main characters stands out in his own way. Brad Pitt as Wardaddy is a pleasant to watch. Pitt has been doing good movies and I think it is high time he wins an Oscar. Shia LeBeouf as Bible is serious and plays his part well too. Logan Lerman as Norman is the hero in the movie for me - as a rookie he portrays the disbelief and the innocence that young boys go into war with but come out as hardened men. The story shows how Wardaddy trains Norman to be someone who he is not.
Direction - David Ayer, known for Training Day and the first Fast & Furious has provided specifics that a lot of American movies do not show. Rape, cruelty and homicides were part of American troops as well - they are no different from other countries. Its how humans react in extreme situations - some adapt to survive and some cave in. But some of the scenes (especially the last sequence) were not really believable. But having said that the camaraderie that Ayer wanted to portray comes through really nicely.
Cinematography - I really liked the camera work. It looked real (maybe not as much as Saving Private Ryan or The Thin Red Line). It wasn't shaky and the sound effects were great with almost real sets.
Special Mention - I really liked the dinner scene with Wardaddy, Norman and the two German women. It was at a completely different pace compared to the rest of the movie and I think it was supposed to build character. That's where you see the soft side of Pitt and how his crew has become what it has.
All in all, it is a good one time watch but I wouldn't go back to it. One reason could be that though the performances were great, I didn't really connect with the characters as much. I would give it a B+.
Let me know what you thought of it.