During World War II, American Sherman tanks found themselves outgunned and out-armored by the much larger German Tiger tanks. For an American crew, their tank became both their home and their potential tomb. “Fury” gives audiences an intimate vision of how these tank crews worked with their tanks, with one another and with the mass death that defined their daily lives.
Fury
A-
Rave and Quality 16
Columbia Pictures
Taking place during the final days of the war in Europe, the film follows the veteran crew of a Sherman tank named Fury and their latest addition, a typist with no training or experience. It’s easy to reduce these characters to stereotypes: the battle hardened sergeant, the bible thumper, the redneck, the one non-white crewman and the rookie. However, great writing and acting reveal a depth beneath the surface of each. The bloodthirsty sergeant, Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt, “Inglorious Bastards”) desires the civility of a peaceful meal, and the bible thumper (Shia LeBeouf, “Transformers”) kills as mercilessly as the next man.
“Fury” really tells two perfectly intertwined stories. One is the story of a tank crew steeped in cynicism and camaraderie and their struggle to survive to the war’s end. Their personalization of Fury – the pinups, photos and war trophies – makes their attachment to the tank feel very real. Also, despite rarely getting along, their synchronicity during battle shows their deep reliance on one another. When they repeatedly say, “best job I ever had,” they’re half joking and half serious.
The second story is of an innocent young man, Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman, “3:10 to Yuma”), transformed by war into an eager killer. It may seem like a quick transition from cleaning up the blood and flesh of his predecessor to mowing down dozens of Nazis, but the atrocities he witnesses makes the process believable. The film’s brutal gore, including bodies beheaded by tank shells or flattened by tank treads, displays the horror of war in stark perspective. Eventually, both Norman and the viewers come to accept Wardaddy’s philosophy: “Ideals are peaceful, history is violent.”
Though the horrors of war as seen through the lens of WWII may seem like a well-worn subject, the focus on a tank crew helps “Fury” stand out from the pack. One notable scene captures the terrifying power of a Tiger tank as shell after shell bounces off its armor. A unique tension develops while watching two tanks dance around one another, each vying to score a hit on the other.
Unfortunately, in a movie so full of memorable moments, the most disappointing scene turns out to be the climactic battle. In the film’s most cliché moment, German soldiers miss their mark repeatedly while American bullets find their targets every time. The film editing makes the heroes seem hopelessly surrounded but also makes audiences wonder how they aren’t getting shot in the back. The course and conclusion of the battle feel utterly predictable.
Not particularly engaging as an action movie, “Fury” stands more strongly as a dramatic testament to the horrible acts humankind is capable of doing to itself. Though the American soldiers constantly demonize the Nazis, a small gesture at the film’s end reaffirms the humanity of the German soldier. The separation of good and evil becomes as confused as a soldier lost in the thunderous noise and fog of war. The film’s final words, “you’re a hero, buddy,” ring hollow in the audience’s ears.