Simple And Straightforward With Some Excellent Tank Battle Scenes

Rating: 7/10 (7 December 2017)

If you're looking for a deep and well developed plot, then "Fory" will probably disappoint. It's a very straightforward and even simple story of an American tank crew in the last days of World War II. Battle hardened and perhaps a bit cynical as a result, these Americans for the most part are not the honourable heroes that American movies usually portray. They've become as vicious as anyone else. They'll mercilessly kill their prisoners, they'll rape German women. There's repeated reflections on how bad the SS are whenever they're encountered - but under the surface there's a sense that this particular tank crew at least isn't all that much better. They kill indiscriminately, with little hesitation and few attacks of conscience. It's all to paint a broad picture of war as brutal and ugly. It dehumanizes warriors, turning them int killing machines. It's a very bloody and graphic and violent movie, featuring some of the most vicious tank battles I've ever come across on film. It isn't a movie that's going to give you the warm fuzzies, nor does it create heroes. It's not a very likable movie - and yet, I enjoyed it.
First, I liked the lead performances from Brad Pitt as Sgt. Collier (the commander of the tank crew) and Logan Lerman as Norman (a clerk typist who somehow got assigned to tank duty. Logan was not welcomed or respected by the crew. He didn't want to kill; he didn't really want to fight. He wanted to type. He still saw the Germans as people rather than enemies. I liked the portrayal of the bond that developed between Collier and Norman. Collier took him under his wing in a sense - protected him somewhat from the abuse of the crew and treated him decently, all the while preparing him for war. Norman gradually evolves and - sadly in some ways - by the end of the movie becomes a savage warrior like the others. I found myself kind of wanting Norman to stay more human; his gradual transformation was a little bit sad. The rest of the tank crew (played by actors like Shia LaBeouf, Michael Pena and Jon Bernthal) were pretty one dimensional.
The best scenes of the movie are probably in the German apartment where Collier and Norman hook up with two German women - one of whom seemed very young and innocent - much like Norman, actually. There's a tension to those scenes. Norman takes her into a bedroom and we assume they have sex - but it didn't seem to be a savage rape. This was Norman. The two seemed genuinely to like each other and found something with each other in the midst of the insanity around them. The girl's death as a civilian casualty when the Americans are attacked seems to be the turning point for Norman.
As I said, this is a pretty simple and straightforward movie - but it does have some good moments of reflection and humanity. (7/10)