Fury

Writer and director David Ayer (Training Day, End Of Watch) brings a solid story of war and brotherhood to life in this World War II drama starring Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button, Fight Club) as “Wardaddy,” Shia Labeouf  (Lawless, Nymphomaniac) as “Bible,” Michael Pena (Crash, End of Watch) as “Gordy,” Jon Bernthal (The Wolf of Wall Street) as “Coon-Ass, and Logan Lerman (The Perks Of Being A Wallflower) as "Norman." The story takes a perspective that we have never seen in any other World War II film in the past. It focuses on the end of the war and the group of American soldiers fighting the final battles from within the confines of a tank.

In the first few minutes of the film, we are introduced to how harrowing life inside such a small space, inhabited by five men can be. Before we know much else about the picture, we see these men eat, drink, sleep, defecate and die, all in this tank, giving new life to the term “shit where you eat.”

Brad Pitt as “Wardaddy,” also serving as executive producer on the project, leads this crew of hard knocks through the final perils of Nazi Germany as the war comes to a close. This group of men has been together for years, fighting this war on various continents and countries, all under the paternal leadership of Wardaddy. Their tank is called “Fury,” and they believe the reason for their unprecedented survival as a crew to be because of Wardaddy himself. They owe everything to him, and throughout the film you see them fight for his love and affection, especially after Logan Lerman’s character, Norman, joins their squad. Norman has never fought before. He has spent his time in the war doing clerical, office duties. He has never operated a gun, or even been inside a tank. A large part of the film is based around Wardaddy teaching Norman about war, killing and patriotism. We see Norman make a drastic transformation from being a young, naïve, weak and feeble boy to becoming a man that is strong and hardened by the savagery and ruthlessness of war. Lerman plays this part with true merit. As he witnesses one atrocity after another, his eyes glaze over, the light in them dissipating as the story progresses. This may be Brad Pitt’s movie, but Lerman is the one to watch here. He solidifies his place in Hollywood as a rising star, and as a formidable young actor. Shia LaBeouf, despite the troubles of his own personal life in the last year, proves himself again to be an actor of note, one of the best of his generation.  He plays the pious, scripture pedaling, “Bible” with earnestness and subtlety. He is a joy to watch.

The visuals in the film are striking and raw. We see the cruelty and the brutality of Nazi Germany, often in ways that have not been depicted in films of the same genre prior.  Aside from a scene in the middle that goes on too long before ever reaching a climax or purpose, the script is solid. The cast is solid. Very little else can be said for Fury. It is a good film, not a great one. The biggest problem lies in the development of each character. We know very little about them as human beings. We do not know where they come from.  Small character clues are made here and there – There is a wedding band on Bible’s hand; Pena’s character, Gordy, speaks a bit of Spanish early on, giving the intonation that he is from a Spanish-American family. But that is really it.  Bits and pieces of their stories are told here and there, but not enough for the script to be emotionally striking or resonating. Not much is even said about the original crew’s past stories with Wardaddy. We know they love him and respect him, but we do not know much else. I think this is especially problematic with Wardaddy himself. Outside of his respect within the Army, we know absolutely nothing about him or where he comes from.  Ultimately, there is not enough meat in terms of character development for a real investment to be made as an audience member.

 Fury is a commendable film and one worthy of respect during this great fall 2014 film lineup. See the film, certainly. But, no rush.