Fury concerns a tank crew at the closing stages of World War II.

Rating: 9/10 (10 December 2014)

"Ideals are peaceful; history is violent," quotes Sgt. Don "Wardaddy" Collier in the second act of director David Ayer's war epic Fury. The film takes place in the closing stages of World War Two. Brad Pitt plays the protagonist "Wardaddy": the leader of the crew tank nicknamed "Fury." Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson franchise, Perks of Being a Wallflower) plays Pvt. Norman Ellison, a new recruit. The strongest part of the film is acting. Brad Pitt expectedly gives a commanding performance as the draconian and seemingly unscrupulous sergeant "Wardaddy." His character provides an interesting contrast between that of Lt. Aldo Raine, another character that Pitt played in Inglourious Basterds, another WWII movie. Wardaddy sees killing as a necessary evil for survival, while Raine outright glorifies the act. However Logan Lerman shines as replacement crewmember Ellison. His powerful performance provides yet another important contrast between his character and that of Wardaddy's. He lets his moral conscience control his actions, while Wardaddy emphasizes the absence of one. The charisma of Lerman helps amplify that contrast. However, the biggest surprise to me was the performance of Shia LaBeouf as the crew's religious gunner Boyd "Bible" Swan. I was initially skeptical of him because of his mediocre work in the Transformers movies. However, in Fury, he shows some range, especially in his constant recitations of Bible verses and his interactions with Wardaddy. Supporting players Jon Bernthal and Michael Peña also add weight to the film's acting component. The plot itself is rather trite as it is the usual 'men on a mission' stylized narrative. The events that take place in the film are also quite predictable. Though it brings nothing new to the table, director David Ayer compensates for this by his proficient filming of the many battle scenes of this film. His eye for the visceral and grit makes them all the more excruciating. However, the quality that I most admire about the film is that it brings up the issue of taking another one's life for the first time and its psychological repercussions upon the individual who commits the act. I also like the scenes that are rather tranquil, especially those in the second act where the crewmembers interact with each other and some German citizens; because they, along with the heavy-handed messages about killing, add to the film some much needed humanism. They make Fury more than a simple gore-fest. I concur that Fury is a well-directed and acted film, even though it suffers a bit from predictability. The movie is not for the faint- of-heart, as it is extremely violent (it is a war film). If the viewer is looking solely for originality in Fury, he/she should expect to be generally chagrined by the film. However, I highly recommend it to those who appreciate acting and/or battle sequences more than story. I can see potential Oscar nominations for Brad Pitt and Logan Lerman for their performances and even one for Shia LaBeouf. I expect Fury to be one of the ten nominees for best picture this year.