Fury: Review

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