Being a World War II buff, when I
first saw the trailer for Brad Pitt's new World War II tank movie 'Fury' I felt
like a kid unwrapping presents on Christmas morning. Like westerns, World War II is a genre that's
all too rare in cinema these days, but this year we've already seen two with
Fedor Bondarchuk's 'Stalingrad' and now this paean to the unsung tankers in World
War II. Known for his intense, gritty
and visceral crime thrillers including 'Harsh Times,' 'Street Kings' and 'End of
Watch,' director David Ayers delivered his best effort yet in this brutal, realistic
and highly competent World War II melodrama.
In 'Fury,' Brad Pitt plays a war
weary, grizzled tank commander known as Wardaddy because he's father figure
to a crew of equally war weary and battle hardened misfits, except for a new
assistant driver (Logan Lerman) who had yet to undergo his trial by fire. Whether he's orchestrating the breach of an
anti-tank screen, engaging the near legendary Tiger at close range, repelling
repeated attacks by the hated Waffen SS in a glorious last stand worthy of
George Armstrong Custer, or simply mowing down Nazi pigs with his captured StG44 assault rifle, Wardaddy embodied all the best attributes of the archetypal Hollywood war
hero: soft-spoken, self assured, competent, cool under fire, displaying much dash and élan while leading by example. There is no shortage of exciting and
grisly battle scenes of combat and carnage, giving us a sobering look at the cost and harsh realities of war. Attention
to detail is also evident in the dress, equipment, vehicles and sets used
throughout the film. All the tanks in the
movie are real, not rendered by a computer. Now
that's commitment.
It's easy for World War II
buffs to nitpick at the movie's various "faults," such as the fact that the Tiger would
have picked off the Shermans at long range with its 88mm gun, the
seeming lack of gunnery skills or accuracy on the part of German soldaten in general (including a sniper, even), and the rather questionable assault tactics employed by the Waffen SS in the final scene. But war movies have to take certain liberties
for the sake of being "epic" and "cinematic," so let's not get overly critical here. While 'Fury' isn't as indelible as 'Saving
Private Ryan,' it's still a well-crafted war movie and a solid contribution to the World War II subgenre.
Grade: A
Grade: A
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