A Movie the War Genre Desperately Needed

Rating: 8/10 (8 December 2014)

I was very excited to see David Ayer's "Fury," not just because I love war movies or Brad Pitt, but because the War Movie genre seemed to have covered every aspect of modern warfare except tank warfare, which was a HUGE part of World War II. I'm certainly no expert, and I certainly did not ride a Sherman tank across 1940s Europe, but I believe Ayer put audiences inside the belly of the beast with his realistic adaptation of this World War II hero story.
Not only is the cast magnificent (shout out to Shia LaBeouf for his OUTSTANDING performance. I naively made the assumption, based on his previous films, that he should not be viewed as a serious actor. This movie proved that notion to be very wrong), but the visual effects and realness of it all made me almost feel what it was like to be in an American Armored battalion facing a seemingly unstoppable opponent (for those that don't know, German tanks were considerably more advanced than our own; imagine a fox trying to fight a Bengal tiger). The fear, anger, and bravery of the characters are brought out through the terrific cast and Ayer's outstanding writing.
I would have rated this film a 9/10 had it not been for the slow developing overlying plot; and I, unfortunately, am very picky when it comes to plot development. The first half of the film seems to be an introduction of the characters in order to show their changes in values and relationships during the conflict. There are also a few scenes that I cannot identity a purpose to, other than character development, that are rather uncomfortable and confusing to watch. Overall, "Fury" is a great war film that any action and/or drama fan should enjoy thoroughly.