Fury is directed by David Ayer and stars Brad Pitt as the commander of a Sherman tank named "Fury" and its five man crew consisting of Logan Lerman, Shia LaBeouf, Michael Pena and Jon Bernthal. Set in the last year of World War II, the team are at the spearhead of the allies advance into Nazi Germany with the task of eliminating the enemies artillery. The team minus Lerman's character Norman are war veterans who have been together through many campaigns and have lived a life of war and brutality. Norman joins the team with no experience and as a result with the assistance off Pitt's character "Wardaddy", has to learn quickly, painfully and truthfully what it takes to be a man of war.
David Ayer has directed quality low budget action films in the past, such as Training Day and End Of Watch. He also directed Arnie Schwarzenegger's comeback film Sabotage which came out earlier this year. I must admit I've not seen it but apparently Arnie cracks off some new amazing one liners which are hilarious as usual. I've always found with war films that then tend to be too hollywoodised. What I mean by that is that many directors of war films try to set out a realistic blood and guts visual setting but to impressive studio execs they have to incorporate a fantasy happy ending or a manic plot twist that is too complex for it's own good. I've always found that the best war films have quite simple but gripping stories, memorable characters and insane action sequences. Fury without doubt has those qualities. What I loved about this film is the honest brutality that it portrays. There are so many disturbing shots and sequences that goosebumps will be a reoccurring event during the run time, I've not felt that moved by a film since 12 Years a Slave. The film doesn't sugar coat any aspects of war life and gives you a hard look at what it does to men. The disturbing imagery not only makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, the action sequences get the heart racing. Fury boasts amazing tank battles which I've personally never seen of that magnitude before. They don't feel fake and with clever sound editing gives you a first person taster of being in that terrifying position. The geek in me did start to emerge from the shadows and I swifty had to restrain myself at that point from looking like a fruitcake. Aside from the astounding dark and gritty visuals, the performances were a shining beacon and in particular from Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf. The veterans of war weren't exactly lovable dreamy rouges but instead were resilient, courageous and had a brother like friendship with one another, an area which is one of David Ayer's big strengths as a director. Pitt isn't quite as over the top as he is as Lieutenant Aldo Raine from Inglorious Basterds but he certainly brings his gruff, commanding charisma to the screen. Labeouf might be a massive a-hole off screen but when he gets focused on a character he can bring plenty of emotion. He has a lot of potential but as with some people, they can't seem to synchronise their brains with their mouths at the best of times. Speaking of potential, Logan Lerman gives his best performance of his young career. You had clear sympathy for his character and understand why he has different views from the other soldiers.
As much as the film tries to retain that realistic vibe, it does have a couple of niggles which made me scratch my invisible bald patch in the third act of the film. Firstly Lerman's character goes from one extreme to another in a very short space of time. It's not completely random, there is substance behind the change in character but it's so fast and rapid that it doesn't make sense. The film has the timescale of a couple of days and I don't think his personality would change that quickly. The third act was shot masterfully but the end set up is very predictable and quite cliched. A slight anticlimax to what was a superb last thirty minutes.
Fury is a great war film that has perfectly shot action sequences, interesting dialogue and engrossing performances. Thought provoking and chilling, David Ayer manages to stick with core war film principles without over stepping the mark, Although a couple of flaws are apparent, this shouldn't put you off on what is a brilliant production. If you're up for this cinema this weekend, this is one you should keep an eye out for.
8/10
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