There have been many films about World War II, and as such an important period in our history, it’s a conflict which continues to occupy thoughts and minds. This century has seen a plethora of releases from around the world including Downfall, Inglorious Bastards, City of Life and Death, The Pianist, Letters From Iwo Jima, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Atonement and Sophie Scholl. David Ayer pulls no punches with Fury, neither in the cast’s preparation or contents of the movie itself.
As the war nears its end and the Allied Forces make their final push towards Berlin, Staff Sergeant Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman Tank (Fury) in the 2nd Armoured Division in the 66th Armoured Regiment. ‘Fury’s’ family also includes veterans Boyd “Bible” Swan (Shia LaBeouf), Grady “Coon-Ass” Travis (Jon Bernthal), and Trini “Gordo” Garcia (Michael Peña). Much to the chagrin of the group, they get assigned an army typist called Norman (Logan Lerman) to join them when one of their crew is killed. Norman has never seen combat, but if quickly skilled in the art of war and survival by the rest of the gang.
David Ayer made the main cast go through a rigorous boot camp in preparation for the film as well as meeting a surviving tank crew. Fury’s greatest achievement is portraying that sense of special camaraderie on the big screen. As a war film it’s sequential and with no overarching pay-off. However, that’s the point. This isn’t simply a film about war but rather one that shows the dehumanising nature of conflict on individuals, whilst silently questioning morality in wartime. Strong performances from the main cast really add an authenticity which makes Fury a superior film set during World War II.
Fury is released on DVD & Blu-Ray by Sony Pictures on February 23.
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