It’s World War II time yet again – it seems like only yesterday that Hitler was defeated, and yet WWII actually ended 69 years ago. Hollywood just can’t seem to let go, so it must be time to follow yet another unsung group of brave warriors as they face down the Nazis. Does anyone know who the “sung” heroes of WWII were?
Fury is about a US tank crew – you’d have to say a tank would be pretty hard to ignore. But this is no ordinary tank crew: hard-bitten by years of conflict (though when cited their military record goes from North Africa directly to France – without any service in Italy they must have spent a year or so resting up), the crew of Sherman tank Fury, led by Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) is tough as nails. So tough, in fact, that when military clerk Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman) is assigned to them in April 1945 to replace the tank’s assistant driver, his first job is to clean the dead guy’s blood – and half his face – off his new seat. His second job? To shoot an unarmed prisoner to prove he’s got what it takes to kill Nazis.
This is the kind of war movie that thinks by making the leads brutal thugs it’s telling it like it is, resulting in a lot of laughable moments where we’re asked to believe the US Military – you know, the guys about to win the war – are wearing rags and are at the end of their tether while the Nazis are able to send hundreds of well-trained men marching across the countryside at will.
Director David Ayers’ (writer of Training Day, writer/director of End of Watch) action sequences are competent enough, so long as you ignore the way the Germans a): always shoot first then b): miss, giving the Allies plenty of opportunity to win the fight (and then shoot all the prisoners). A mid-movie tank battle where (briefly) the odds really do seem against our heroes is a high point; an ending that wants to be the climax of The Wild Bunch but ends up so unlikely (why would trained soldiers repeatedly run into machine gun fire) it’s laughable is not.
The level or realism in the visuals, at least, is impressive; it’s good to know that if someone wanted to make a truly accurate look at World War II, it’s never been easier to do so.