Ideas Are Peaceful. History Is Violent. Fury Is Brutal.

Rating: Null/10 (12 November 2014)

When it comes to depicting the brutal horrors of war, Fury does a commendable job in offering a visceral outlook through its numerous battle sequences that are relentless, unflinching & unforgiving yet the film as a whole feels more or less like a missed opportunity because despite having the potential & ingredients to join the same league as the finest examples of its genre, it comfortably settles for a score that's quite below its aspirations.
A fictional story set during the final months of World War II in Nazi Germany, Fury presents a fascinating portrait of tank crews that served during the last great war and concerns the battle- hardened five-man crew of a Sherman tank & the deadly mission they embark on behind enemy lines. The film covers the bonding between the crews & the team effort they put together in a heroic attempt to hold their position despite being heavily outnumbered & outgunned.
Written & directed by David Ayer, the movie makes it pretty clear in its opening moments that it aims to put up a mercilessly raw depiction of war in front of viewers & isn't going to be a nice ride for the easily distressed. Ayer's direction & script are really good in parts but where the movie falls flat is in the moments when bullets & shells are not being exchanged. However, camera-work is kinetic, editing is effective in battle scenes but choppy rest of the time & background score is a big plus.
Coming to the performances, the main cast comprises of Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña & John Bernthal as the five-man crew of the Sherman tank named 'Fury' and it's Pitt as Wardaddy who really has a commanding presence here & delivers a fab performance yet sometimes his star presence comes in the way. LaBeouf is surprisingly good, Lerman's character is our ticket into the battlefield & his bonding with Wardaddy is the core ingredient that drives this story. And I didn't care much damn about Peña & Bernthal.
On an overall scale, Fury features a relatively less used premise in warfare filmmaking as there aren't many examples in cinema that have captured war from the viewpoint of a tank crew & in that aspect, is a welcome addition. But it is also ridden with almost every cliché of its genre, fails to provide a more compact structure to its narrative & certainly lacks the same level of devotion in handling its characters' arcs as the one present while it is revelling in its extremity. Not even close to the finest films of its genre but a viciously entertaining ride nonetheless. Worth a shot.