Fury (2014)

David Ayers (Suicide Squad, The Beekeeper) directs this brutal war drama which takes place during the last days of World War II along the German front.  We follow a crew riding within a tank known as the titular "Fury" which is lead by Brad Pitt's grizzled veteran nick-named "Wardaddy."  Pitt leads a stellar cast including Michael Pena, Shia LeBouf, Jon Bernthal and Logan Lerman, the latter of whom plays Norman who becomes the audience avatar as he has just joined this crew and has never experienced combat before.  What results is a grisly adventure featuring several intense combat sequences ALL depicted from the vantage point of this Sherman tank.  

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

FURY - 2014

Directed by David Ayer

Starring Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Shia LeBeouf, Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal, Xavier Samuel, Kevin Vance, Anamaria Marinca, Alicia von Rittbert, and Jason Isaacs

Genre: War Action Thriller (Audio clip)

This might be one of the most fatalistic films I have ever seen about World War II - the violence is very in-your-face and most of the characters are pretty much selfish brutes - and that's probably why I like it. It's definitely better seeing in a theater where you feel more immersed in the tank action but rewatching it at home, I still found it entertaining. 

Does mean that I found it believable for this particular war and time frame? Not particularly...every performance is strong and you get to know the five inhabitants of the "Fury" tank pretty well but they all felt like more contemporary characters - it's certainly hard to know for sure because I wasn't around in 1945 but the characterization sometimes reminded me of another fictionalized movie about WWII which starred Brad Pitt, Inglorious Basterds...though not nearly as quirky not fantastical.

And that's ok for me because as a pretty gruesome action adventure story set during a major world war with JUST enough characterization to keep you engaged, this movie works in the same way that 1917 works. Director David Ayer directs the shit out of every battle setpiece - everything sounds LOUD but still very easy to follow, you're there with each of those guys as they maneuver themselves through some increasingly harrowing situations! 

Of the cast, Shia LeBouf is the standout taking some character tropes (religious private with the right Bible quote to fit the situation) in this type of movie and bringing a fresh spin to it. And this film is LOADED with war movie tropes we have seen before, which is probably its biggest weakness: there's one supporting character's very telegraphed death which I could see coming from MILES away and there's a deus ex machina for another character towards the end that just comes out of nowhere. But as a balls-out intense action spectacle with some nice quiet moments thrown in, this one delivers.

Best Needle drop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

As with the rest of what we see occur on-screen the bombastic score for this movie is anything but subtle….but that’s ok as long as it’s well done.  And British composer Steven Price fortunately brings his A-game to deliver a soundscape providing a adeptly propulsive accompaniment to the tense action we see on-screen. (Audio clip) 

Often punctuated with choral voices and also using percussion from a lot of non-musical devices otherwise utilized JUST for warfare including dog tags and tank treads, the score is otherwise VERY string-heavy resulting in a very emotional AND primal sound.  The most stirring example of this the theme we hear over the final sequence as our protagonist has to both figure out how to exit this situation and also take stock of what has happened to him afterwards….it really packs a punch and this track is fittingly called, “Norman.” (Audio clip)

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

Back to the screenplay and the casting….well let’s just say that the overall arc for probably our most sympathetic character – Norman the Newbie to this crew played sufficiently wide-eyed by Logan Lerman - into a vengeful killer seems to come a BIT too easily.  Just LOOKING at this actor’s boyish mug from the get-go, it just becomes SUPER-obvious that we’re gonna witness this innocent become FULLY corrupted.  And hey it’s not Logan’s fault, he gives it his all with his performance….it’s just that the screenplay fails to give his character anywhere particularly surprising nor interesting to go. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

For me, THE standout sequence occurs just over an hour into the movie when the group we have been following get involved in a stand-off with a heavily armored German Tiger tank.  It starts out with four Allied/American tanks vs. one but things just get increasingly tense as this Tiger tank gets the drop on every other tank BESIDES the Fury wiping them out ONE ….BY…..ONE. (Audio clip) 

What is especially impressive about this extended stand-off is how the camera sometimes takes you to the perspective of each tank just barely seeing the back of the other as it becomes a race to see who can land that perfect hit in the right spot. I can't quite explain why seeing just the rear 1/3 of a tank can be that exciting but it's just a genuinely tense thing to witness and gives you a great visualization of just how tiny the margins for error can be in these combat situations. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

This one’s a no-brainer even though as both a writer and director, I have always found the filmography of David Ayer to be a mixed bag.  He wrote previous episode Training Day which - even as a hardcore Denzel Washington fan – I have found to be somewhat overrated especially due to inconsistent writing.  As a director, Ayer also seems to specialize in often aggressively male-dominated, super-gritty, and often super-gory actioners….Sabotage, Street Kings, Harsh Times, End of Watch which I like, and the recent surprise hit The Beekeeper which I ALSO like but as a guilty pleasure.  With the exception of End of Watch, I have found these films to just be VERY try-hard, in-your-face, always distractingly reminding you of how “edgy” their material is.  (Audio clip) 

And make no mistake with mostly less-than-subtle characterizations and some on-the-nose dialogue, Ayer brings that here too….but for me, it just WORKS for this particular setting. The very claustrophobic environment of a Sherman tank lends itself to that approach - working in gory, smelly close quarters with four other grunts under constant fire….it ALMOST feels as oppressive as working in a submarine except at least with regards to tanks, you can sometimes get out for air.  With the compelling story of the Fury tank, I just feel like the guy found THE perfect match with his sensibilities as a filmmaker, even though most of his other films have been set in urban crime environments.  For writing and directing what I consider to be his best film overall, David Ayer is the MVP. (Audio clip)  

Final Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Once again a special shout-out to all who have served and continue to serve our country in the military…Happy Veterans Day!  And Happy Tenth Anniversary for what was truly one of the most exciting war dramas I have ever seen in theaters. 

Streaming on Netflix

And that ends another WARDADDY review!