Fury is a World War II movie that provides a sense of intense, visceral violence and a semblance of authenticity that probably hasn’t been seen since Saving Private Ryan. I think this movie could be for WWII what Platoon was for Vietnam.
Brad Pitt stars as Wardaddy, a hard-boiled, aggressive Army sergeant who leads a group of men into Nazi-occupied Germany to hunt down and destroy their enemy in the closing month of the war. No, this is not Inglourious Basterds 2. Gone is the cheesy Southern accent Pitt displayed in that movie. Instead, we’re treated to a series of battle sequences that are unflinching and unrelenting once they get started with Pitt and co. taking no prisoners.
In one of his best performances in recent memory, Shia LaBeouf costars as Bible, a soldier given that moniker due to his religious beliefs. Other members of the squad include Michael Pena’s Gordo and Logan Lerman’s Norman whom the group nicknames “Machine.”
Regarding the other elements in the film, there are several moments in which the characters are given time to establish who they are and where they’ve been. That’s true for each actor involved and one of the most effective scenes involves the soldiers entering a war-torn town and having breakfast with two girls who are cousins.
Fury was written and directed by David Ayer who has a notch for crafting hard-edged filmmaking including Training Day and End of Watch. However, this movie is about much more than war. It’s also about how war affects everyone who goes through it and the steadfast determination to survive.
The look of this movie is authentic in every sense. We get everything from darkened skies to bombed out cities to action sequences that might go too far with its violence, but still gives an uncompromising impact.
Unlike The Monuments Men which opened earlier this year, this movie finds a tremendous balance with unexpected humor in the middle of its chaos. It gives us characters that we like and it proves it’s about more than just sound, and well, fury.
Grade: A-
(Rated R for strong sequences of war violence, some grisly images, and language throughout.)
Until next time, White County, this is Justin Hall saying I’ll see you AT THE MOVIES!
Fury Movie Review
