Fury is a film of mud. Muddy roads, muddy fields, muddy people. The
filth created by the mechanised destruction of WW2 is clinging and pervasive,
both physically and morally. The film’s characters are caked in the dirt and
horror they’ve been through as we join them as their campaign draws to a close.
However, while the crew of the titular tank clearly teeter on the edge of
mental stability, it is the metal walls surrounding them that, quite contrary
to being a claustrophobic symbol of their misery, in fact hold together their
collective and individual psyches. The walls are adorned with photos, medals
and memorabilia, and we are given the sense that the men in fact need this
enclosure and inherent, almost enforced, companionship, encapsulated in their
repeated assertion that it is in fact ‘the best job (they) ever had’.
We join director David Ayer’s
film in April 1945. Germany is in the midst of capitulation as WW2 draws to a
close, yet the fighting continues. The crew of ‘Fury’, led by Brad Pitt’s (Moneyball, Inglorious Bastards) Don ‘Wardaddy’ Collier, Shia LaBeouf (Transformers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), Michael Peña (End of Watch, American Hustle) and Jon Bernthal (The Ghost, Wolf of Wall
Street) are joined by Logan Lerman’s (Percy
Jackson & the Lightening Thief,
The Perks of Being a Wallflower) fresh
faced addition to the group. Trained as a typing clerk yet thrown into the
midst of battle with a matter of weeks’ training, Lerman’s Norman Ellison is
our insight into the crew as he must quickly learn how to fit in and perform to
the standard expected of him by men who know that, in a five man tank, there
can be no weak links.
Ayer continues, as in 2012’s
impressive End of Watch, to provide
an unflinching look at his chosen subject matter, fully displaying the gore of
battle for the film’s entire duration. It is however, in the film’s design that
it shines most. The costumes, locations and most importantly, the vehicles, are
entirely convincing, with the production in fact making use of genuine working
WW2-era tanks. All of this lends a necessary realism to the film as a whole, in
particular the action set pieces, which at times are presented as all out slogs
of persistent explosions, while at others feeling more like orchestrated acts
of precision. This variety is welcome, but what is maintained is the atmosphere
of desperation among the tank crews, not only to succeed, but to survive.
What good work the film does in
establishing its gritty realism, is unfortunately somewhat inhibited by the script
and plot. From Pitt’s battle hardened commander, Lebeouf’s religious minded
‘Bible’, Bernthal’s unhinged and violent Grady through to Peña’s driver
‘Gordo’, Fury’s characters rarely
stray far from stereotype. While the performances in these roles are good, with
Pitt and Lerman given the most room to show their talents, Fury does often drift into the realms of predictability in terms of
plot beats and character development. The finale in particular, is excessively
overblown and takes the film’s tagline ‘War never ends quietly’ far too
literally. It is in the moments where Fury
dares to deviate from the expected norm that it feels more its own film but
these moments are regrettably infrequent.
However, while there is at times a
desire to see Fury do something
different, what cannot be argued is that what the film does, it predominantly
does incredibly well. While the plot is somewhat formulaic, the set pieces,
production design and performances elevate the film, allowing it to provide an
engaging display of the effects of war on both individuals and the collective. Ayer
skilfully handles the film’s quieter moments, safe in the knowledge that they
convey their desired message without having to spell them out through scenery
chewing diatribes of exposition. An intense and gripping watch, not for the faint-hearted,
Fury is not to be missed as we rumble
into awards season.
4/5
4/5
