Theatrical Reviews: Fury

World War 2 has been beaten to death by Hollywood, and it’s no wonder why.  Old people love the heck out of WW2.  You can hardly turn on the History channel without seeing a documentary on the subject, and at least one big movie set in the time and place comes out every year.  The war on Hitler is definitely making its money back.

Fury is the latest in the WW2 series, but it’s a lot less patronizing and silly then a lot of other historical fiction movies set in the time period.  It’s less of a war epic or a character piece and more of a “slice of life” with very little in the way of grandiosity or theatricality.  This can be a tad frustrating at times, but Ayer and his actors do and grand job with the material; the result being an above average war thriller that will thrill war-junkies and more cerebral viewers alike.

There may not be anything as memorable or breathtaking as the beach sequences from Saving Private Ryan in Fury, but I’m not sure the two are as comparable as they seem to be on face.  A lot of war movies are massive message movies or fast paced survival pieces, and while Fury may have elements of both, it’s above all about the effects a war can have on the emotions actions and minds of those who partake.

The plot meanders throughout various set pieces and action scenes with little in the way of a goal or end point, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be.  Fury is not about fighting Germans, it’s about a group of men; their relationships, prejudices and problems.  The antagonist of this film is not the Nahtzee’s but the protagonists themselves.  They’re all fallible human beings whose flaws have become all the more prominent by process of war.  They’re examples of the psychological transformation one has to go through in order to deal with a situation as horrifying as war.

The film looks great, and the action sequences are properly gory, but one of the best reasons to see this film is the acting.  There is not a par performance in the lot; every actor gives it his all.  Lerman and LaBeouf put on two of the more surprising performances, but every actor here is at the top of their game.  In order for this story to work director David Ayer must have known that primo acting was required, so he got some of the best and made them do great.  If this movie tastes Oscar, It’ll probably be in the acting category.

Over all Fury is a really good war drama with some great acting and a smart plot.  Some of the typical he-man macho crap gets in, but I think that’s somewhat unavoidable in a commercial movie like this.  If you like war films, then you’ll love Fury.  If you can tolerate war movies; here you’ll find one that’s better than most.  

Thanks for reading!  If you want to get trapped in the horrifying vortex that is war, feel free to email me at atchleyosaurus@gmail.com or follow us on social media.  Check back for more movie magic!