"April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman tank and his five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany"
I will hold my hands up now and admit that I wasn't really that interested in watching this film. I don't know why, as I enjoy films based around the atrocities that occurred during the second world war (not saying I enjoy the atrocities, they sicken me). Maybe it's because this particular theatre of battle has never really been addressed in such fashion. However, my flatmate wanted to see it so I agreed to watch it. I can honestly say that this was a particularly good decision, as Fury is a fantastic film, with a great story and brilliant character portrayal.
WARNING, THERE BE SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT FORTH!!!!
The film centres on five principle characters: US Army S/Sgt. Don "Wardaddy" Collier (played by Brad Pitt), T/5 Boyd "Bible" Swan (played by Shia LaBeouf), Cpl. Trini "Gordo" Garcia (played by Michael Pena), Pfc. Grady "Coon-Ass" Travis (played by Jon Bernthal), and Pvt. Norman "Machine" Ellison (played by Logan Lerman). These characters are part of the 66th Armored Regiment, 2nd Armored Division, who control the tank Fury across Nazi Germany towards the end of the war.
Initially a four-man crew, Pvt. Ellison was drafted from an admin position to aid the gunners and driver. Whilst the tank is the main star of the film, it is Pvt. Ellison's story that really drives this film. Having never seen combat, nor killed anyone, it is his growth that the story really focuses on.
Fury starts with a sublime shot, of a battle-hardened soldier atop horseback surveying the battlefield. Bodies lie strewn all over the place, death is in the air. After a couple of minutes, you then realise that this film will show all the horrors of the war, as said soldier (a fantastic Brad Pitt) knifes a Nazi in the face a few times. If you're squeamish, then this may not be the film for you....
Upon realising that his original bow gunner/driver has been killed in action, he is provided with a replacement, new recruit Pvt. Ellison who has only been in the army a total of 3 months. Alienated by the other crew members, he is told to clear the remains of Fury before the regiment move across Nazi Germany. It was at this point that you get to see a proper slive of horror - and I do mean slice, as Ellison comes across a piece of skin either slayed, sliced or blown off the face of someone once living. It is a horrible sight, but sadly, it was one that many soldiers came across during that conflict.
Brad Pitt is amazing in his role as the war-ravaged Wardaddy Collier. From his look, he appears to have possibly fought in World War 1, but he and the remainder of the crew have all been together as one unit during battles in Africa to the European theatre of war. He is shown to despise the Nazi Waffen-SS, as he is physically restrained from interrogating and harassing a captured and injured SS officer. However, it is also the talents of the other actors as his crew that make this such a believable film. Jon Bernthal in particular shines. You may remember him as Shane in the Walking Dead, but here he plays artillery loader "Coon-Ass", a proper country boy gone slightly doo-lally after years of war and death. Rounded off by Shia LaBeouf as "Bible", a religious bomber, he is actually not a prick in this film like he is in real life. He holds a steady head, and offers sermon to his fellow "brothers" when required. Michael Pena, as Spanish-American "Gordo" is the first to take Ellison under his wing and help him get through the ravages of war.
Ellison is, however, the stand out character. A new army recruit with no war experience, plucked from a cushy admin role, he refuses to kill another human being, and his failure to do so ends with the death of another tank crew, all killed by the Hitler youth when Ellison fails to pull the trigger. In order to force him to grow up and take note of the war around him, he is forced to kill a captured Nazi and is then taken under Wardaddy's wing. It is after the death of a German girl he fell for that he decides to take his anger out against the Nazi's.
During an attack within Nazi Germany - where it is shown that Nazi's were killing and burning their own children and patrons for refusing to fight against the Allies - Ellison successfully dispatches a squad of Nazi's that disabled the remaining members of the regiment, leaving Fury as the only tank to advance.
This leads us up to our final scene, in which - with Fury disabled due to a mine blast, and a squadron of Waffen-SS officers arriving in numbers - the crew is given the option to leave, or stay with Wardaddy and defend a crossroads. In allegiance to Wardaddy, all remain and enjoy their last moments together. What follows is a gunfight to end all gunfights (the closing scene of the film shows the carnage that 5 men inside a disabled tank were able to inflict), with each member killed trying to protect their brothers, and the crossroads they held to prevent the SS march heaading further afield. Leaving a critically wounded Wardaddy & Pvt. Ellison - since nicknamed "Machine" in their tank with no more ammunition, and Nazi soldiers climbing above them. The most poignant moment comes when Wardaddy tells Ellison to get out the escape hatch just as Nazi grenades enter the tank. On doing so, Ellison is noted by a young Nazi who, most possibly in the same situation as he was, lets him stay with no reprisal. Getting picked up by a US regiment the following morning, Ellison is named a hero for the fight that was fought, but is racked with the ravages of war and the images of his dead brothers.
This movie does not flinch when it comes to showing the violence and horror of war, nor does it attempt to hide the stress that this puts on each man, with Jon Bernthal's character particularly shell-shocked. I think my flatmate summed it up when, moments after it ended, he said that he wouldn't be surprised if this didn't win an Oscar. It is that good a film, but I think it will be pipped at the post by the new Hobbit movie; however there is hope.
I have purposefully not included a lot of photos in this review, this being due to the brutal war scenes and, in part, as seeing pictures will not do this film justice. Brad Pitt's Sgt. Wardaddy Collier has only ever known Fury, so it is his home, his partner, his love. He chose to defend it, and his brothers chose to support him in doing so.
This is currently in my top ten films of 2014, but it isn't number one, that film will be up for review at a later date! Hopefully I'll be able to get another one or two reviews in by the end of the day, as I'm away this weekend and won't get the chance to upload anything until Monday otherwise.
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