Film Review: Fury

“It will end soon. But First, a lot more people gotta die.”

Fury is a day in the life film of a World War II tank crew during the final few months of the war. The film is directed by David Ayer (End of Watch) and stars a host of world class actors including Brad Pitt (Fight Club), Logan Lerman (Perks of Being a Wallflower), John Barenthal (The Walking Dead), Shia LaBouf (Lawless) and Michael Pena (End of Watch). 

The film is pretty overwhelming, but in a good way. Surprisingly the film has quite an artistic expression and blends this well with blockbuster action. It’s an interesting mix, like squishing together Terrence Malik’s The Thin Red Line and Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan: two very contrasting films based on the same topic.

The films is based on a good script. Just good, but David Ayer’s talented direction coupled with outstanding performances from the entire cast elevates the film to a new level. The film explains the war perfectly, that war changes men and through the eyes of new recruit Norman, we get only a small dose of the horror. Some people might say the characters are presented as terrible people, but they aren’t. Through the fire they have become so far removed from their humanity, they all have their retrieving moments where they are brought back to real life. There are no heroes only survivors, this ideology becomes apparent at the end of the film.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGvZoIrXpg?rel=0]

The cinematography is artistic. The sound design is Oscar worthy, the whistling of the tank missiles ricocheting of armour is gripping and mind blowing. The breakfast scene that envelops the second act of the film represents the masterful acting. The pacing at time however can be iffy, during the first and second act the film doesn’t really seem to have any idea of where it’s going, due to the wildly engrossing scenes though it tends to become quickly unnoticed. The score by Steven Price evokes true emotion and grittiness, something that becomes more and more noticeable as the film progresses. The special effects are wonderful, the different colours of pyrotechnics and gunfire is almost sci-fi-ish. You’ll be scratching your head at how this film was only made with only £60M…Metaphors are also used frequently, just keep a close eye on the very first scene and the very last shot, turning this into quite an elegant display of filmmaking.

A beautiful angle of brutality, that explores the bonds of men who have had their souls ripped from them over a disturbingly long period of time. David Ayer’s view of the infamous World War II is technically masterful, even though he doesn’t quite hit the jackpot he certainly gives it a good go. Fury is an excellent film, even if you’re someone who isn’t a fan of war films. You’ll be glad you watched this one.

Words by Eddie