Rent Fury (2014)

A brilliant, violent & totally uncompromising film looking at the trauma & horror of tank warfare - Fury review by TB

Fury is not an easy watch, in any way, shape or form. It is a film which, from the ground up, was written & shot to be as uncompromising as possible. In the WW2 setting we are thrown into, life is almost worthless. Friends are made then killed in battle in the blink of an eye. The stench of death from corpses which have been blown into bits then left to rot is overwhelming. And, as shown by our protagonist Norman, innocence is destroyed within seconds.

Whilst there is absolutely an enormous testosterone streak running through this film, it is also in no way glorifying the actions you see. Every single one of the characters has been so broken by the horrific bloodshed they have endured that you wonder what they will do once the war is over, how they will be able to cope in a world where they don't spend every single second worrying that they will be attacked.

The film follows Norman as he is transferred from being a typist to the lead machine gunner within the tank, replacing the previous gunner who was killed in action. The film immediately grabs you by the throat as Norman is ordered to clean the dead man out of the tank, including bits of his face which have been blown apart. As the film progresses, you see in such painful detail how unsuited Norman is to combat, but also remembering that in the final months of the war, manpower/soldiers were so limited that effectively you were conscripted if you could pick up a gun & point it in vaguely the right direction.

And whilst obviously Norman is the main focus, through his pain & breakdown you are able to see so clearly how the other men, who may have had a similar level of innocence, have been totally & completely dehumanised by the horror they have been forced to witness.

The cast themselves are excellent. As Wardaddy, Brad Pitt gives one of his best performances in recent memory. Gone is the swagger of Aldo Raine from Inglorious Basterds, instead we get a man who is trying to not only to complete the missions given to him by high command, but also keep his men alive whilst everywhere around him, people are dying so quickly, you barely get to know their names. Shia LaBeouf is also great as the deeply religious "Bible" Sean, a man who has turned to God as the only way he can cope with what is happening around him.

But for me the best was Logan Lerman as Norman. In what is without doubt the trickiest role in the film, he is a revelation. The fact that he conveyed the trauma & upset so well not only speaks to his skills as an actor, but also the fact that he, along with everyone else, was forced to spend 4 months prepping for the film, including actual physical fights between the actors and a week long boot camp run by Navy seals.

The other massive achievement in this movie is the fact that the production team managed to get the only genuine & working Tiger I tank in the world in the film, which hasn't been achieved for nearly 60 years. The sets, costumes & props are also exceptional. This film has been closely researched to ensure that the period setting is exactly as it was in 1945.

Whilst this is a difficult watch, it is also essential viewing. I loved it & it gives me even more respect & reverence to the millions who laid down their lives to ensure that we can live in peace & freedom.

Great film - Fury review by AF

Good quality army film must of seen it over 10 times and i still rented it a bit unrealistic but still a good watch not as good as saving private ryan but still a good film none the less.

good war film - Fury review by CP Customer

I enjoyed this film , based around a group of Americans in a tank fighting the germans across the country. Some good gritty tank battles and army fighting sequences.

Gritty War Film - Fury review by GI

Fury follows the trend for grittily realistic combat films that started with the release of Saving Private Ryan (1998). Indeed it's a very realistic one, at times quite harrowing and with characters that are for the most part unredeeming. At the centre of the narrative is the time honoured loss of innocence theme that litters many war films and whilst that maybe a little hackneyed it seems to fit the story here. Set in the dying days of the Second World War against Germany this follows an American tank crew led by a battle hardened sergeant played by Brad Pitt. He's like a father figure to his crew of misfits (and an unpleasant bunch they are too played by Shia LaBoeuf, Michael Peña and Jon Bernthal) and especially so when young, new recruit Norman (Logan Lerman) joins them. Norman has to be taught the brutalities of war and the loss of his morality is part of the narrative. He does seem to lose it a tad too quickly, going from reluctant killer to enthusiastic one quite rapidly. His journey, accompanied by his new 'family', includes bloody combat, casual execution, rape and a newly discovered courage as the film's climactic battle is a siege as their disabled tank fights a mass of enemy soldiers. Bloody, violent and at times very tense this is entertaining and possibly the only film that focuses on a tank crew. It's certainly a very authentic looking film and the look utilising a washed out colour palette adds to the overall grimy, unpleasant and horrific nature of the war. I'm not convinced it works thematically but it is definitely exciting.

Claustrophobic - Fury review by JD

Whether or not it is a reasonable reflection of what it is like to be in a tank in WW II I am unsure, it is certainly believable, the bonus section featured veterans who had advised the actors. As an insight into the hardship and psychological forces inside a tank it is a masterpiece. As a drama it is thrilling. As a US beats the rest of the world war film it is irritatingly patriotic and pointless.