{"id":16643,"date":"2014-12-06T19:46:57","date_gmt":"2014-12-06T09:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=16643"},"modified":"2014-12-06T19:47:06","modified_gmt":"2014-12-06T09:47:06","slug":"fury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thefatwebsite.com\/?p=16643","title":{"rendered":"Fury"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"furyposter\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Director: \u00a0<\/strong>David Ayer
\nWriter: \u00a0<\/strong>David Ayer
\nCast: \u00a0<\/strong>Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman<\/p>\nF<\/em><\/span>ury <\/em>is the latest film from David Ayer, the director of\u00a0End of Watch<\/em> and\u00a0Training Day<\/em> fame. \u00a0He is a director and writer who has an eye for making great character driven dramas and as an admirer of his earlier work, I approached\u00a0Fury\u00a0<\/em>with plenty of interest despite its slightly ho hum reception both critically and at the box office.<\/p>\n

You might wonder whether a film about World War II in 2014 could actually find a fresh angle on its subject matter and in the case of Fury<\/em>, I think Ayer accomplishes just that. \u00a0He sets the film in the final stages of World War II\u00a0with the Nazis on the backfoot and the Allies steam-rolling into Germany. \u00a0We follow the fortunes of a single tank, the eponymous Fury, and its five man crew lead by Don “Wardaddy” Collier, played by Brad Pitt, alongside “Bible”, “Coon-Ass”, “Gordo” and new recruit Norman. \u00a0The crew of the Fury are all seasoned and war-weary veterans who are at times shockingly desensitized to the horrors of their surroundings. \u00a0The audience will relate more closely to Norman, who knows almost nothing of his surroundings and is naive about what lies ahead in the campaign. \u00a0Norman is well mannered, meek and a pacifist which immediately draws the ire of Wardaddy who is concerned that his inability to pull the trigger will jeopardize the Fury’s safety. \u00a0His soft spoken temperament\u00a0also acts like honey for flies as the rest of the Fury find him an easy mark to bully and antagonize.<\/p>\n

Over the next two hours, we see Norman undergo a trial by fire as he experiences several rites of passage for soldiers in combat. \u00a0At first, his hesitation in firing on a young SS soldier results in the gruesome fiery death of a comrade which infuriates Wardaddy. \u00a0Unable to chance Norman failing in his duties a second time, he takes a German POW and forces Norman to kill him. \u00a0It is a brutal initiation but has the desired effect.<\/p>\n

Fury<\/em> features a catalogue of scenarios that will be familiar to anyone who has watched classic war films such as All Quiet On The Western Front, Saving Private Ryan<\/em> and\u00a0The Big Red One<\/em>. \u00a0There is a fleeting romance with a beautiful farm girl who doesn’t speak English. \u00a0A tense stand off with a German tank that has superior armour. \u00a0Grief and mourning over the death of a colleague. \u00a0A deadly sniper. \u00a0The loss of innocence for those who live through it all. \u00a0What makes\u00a0Fury\u00a0<\/em>particularly effective is that there is a strong and believable comradery between the crew of the Fury. \u00a0The relationship between Norman and the rest of the crew gradually evolves as he becomes battle hardened and wins their respect with his marksmanship.<\/p>\n

The film also takes a warts and all approach towards the behavior of the Allies which is pretty uncharted territory for World War II films. \u00a0There are many films about Vietnam or Desert Storm that cast a more critical eye towards the behavior of the American soldiers but when you consider even relatively recent World War II classics such as\u00a0Saving Private Ryan,<\/em> which is championed for its gruesome but realistic portrayal of combat itself, the troops are always shown in a flattering light. \u00a0Not so in\u00a0Fury\u00a0<\/em>where the crew are shown to be cynical and hardened grunts that can find catharsis in killing, who slaughter animals for therapy and claim sexual conquests in the towns they ‘liberate’.<\/p>\n

I don’t believe Ayer intends\u00a0to demonize the soldiers’ behavior. \u00a0Instead he uses a realistic and unflinching lens to study his characters so we can see what makes them tick and how they cope with the horrors of war. \u00a0With this in mind you can see some thematic similarities to the officers in\u00a0Training Day <\/em>and\u00a0End of Watch<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"fury\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What I like about Ayer is that he has a knack for writing great conversational dialogue. \u00a0Its not particularly flashy or predisposed to giving us one liners. \u00a0Instead it feels natural and organic which goes a long way towards building up that sense of friendship and comradery between the soldiers in the tank. \u00a0They have in-jokes, little idiosyncrasies and traits that get on one anothers nerves. \u00a0But in time they also come to care deeply for one another. \u00a0After all, all they really have is each other. \u00a0And when one of them falls in combat, you care and you feel for them. \u00a0And thats just about the most important thing for a film such as this.<\/p>\n

Fury<\/em> also serves as a great showcase for David Ayer in other ways beyond his writing. \u00a0The tank combat scenes are extremely well crafted and put together. \u00a0The battles are shot and framed dramatically but we can always understand what is happening, who has the advantage and what the Fury must do to try and survive. \u00a0Ayer also gets plenty of value out of his actors. \u00a0Sure Brad Pitt is an experienced and reliable hand but when was the last time we saw Shia LeBeouf play such an entertaining role? \u00a0And for the part of Norman, who has the most challenging and well rounded character in the film, Ayer draws a fantastic performance out of the lead from the Percy Jackson movie.<\/p>\n

Sadly, I think\u00a0Fury<\/em> is a film that will be forgotten by most very quickly. \u00a0It’s not a blockbuster, nor is it an award season film. \u00a0Mores the pity because I think its an excellent if not understated work that delivers tension, thrills, humour and heart ache.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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