Released Oct. 17, Fury features performances by leading actors like Brad Pitt, who plays a battle-hardened army sergeant. The film, however, stands apart from its peers in that it is not action-centric; rather it intends to show the brutality of war. Illustration by Ella Sams.
Story by MADELINE HALL – Viewpoints Writer
Fury is a grisly, action-filled addition to the war movie genre.
Director David Ayer’s Fury, released on Oct. 17, is a jarringly blunt depiction of the trials faced by soldiers during World War II. Centering on the five-man crew of a Sherman tank, Fury tells the story of the men, not the war.
Brad Pitt plays Wardaddy, who is the standard, battle-hardened army sergeant. The rest of his five-man crew consists of seasoned soldiers; Bible (Shia Labeouf), Gordo (Michael Pena) and Grady (John Bernthal). The last man, who isn’t shown, is killed before the movie starts, but, due to the chagrin of the tank crew, he is replaced by amateur Norman (Logan Lerman), who has been in the army for just eight weeks.
Though the movie is set in April 1945, the last month of World War II, it doesn’t include any identifiable events of the war. No famed battles or identifiable landscapes are shown. The viewer knows that the characters are American soldiers in Germany, and not much beyond that.
Fury doesn’t envoke patriotism or reminiscence of won battles that create good news back home. Instead, it gives the audience a graphic look into the claustrophobic world of a soldier.
Fury is not meant to comfort.
Following the journey of the soldiers through the German countryside, Fury consists primarily of battle sequences. Most of it is grisly and violent, with more than one scene involving visible brain spillage. However, while Fury is filled with action, it is not action-based. Through all of this, the viewer sees the effects of the war on these soldiers.
Wardaddy and the rest of the crew haven’t exactly given up, but they’ve accepted their fate, which is, apparently, inevitable death. It’s clear the goal is to make Norman accept this, too. In the beginning, the characters seem exaggerated and overly pessimistic, but it becomes understandable once the movie gets further in and the viewer begins to comprehend the feeling of being trapped: danger surrounds with no way out.
The bottom line: Fury is gross, violent and unsettling, but it’s an important discomfort. This is war shown as it really is: traumatizing. With its incredible attention to detail and well orchestrated action sequences, Fury is a must watch for fans of the genre.
