Fury

Directed by:

David Ayer

Starring:

Brad Pitt

Shia LaBeouf

Logan Lerman

Michael Pena

Jon Bernthal

It was pure coincidence that I heard a radio interview with Fury director David Ayer literally moments before I went into the cinema to watch his latest movie. His words inspired me and my fears about the movie were allayed. He spoke of wanting to make a war movie that focused less on the overall theme of good vs evil; the just and worthy, god-fearing Americans verses the evil, antiquated and ill-advised Krauts. He lied. Though there were moments of greatness and simplicity in Fury, they were all performed to the backdrop of the great and noble cause that pushed them forward. There were many moments in the film where all that was missing from the scene was a star-spangled banner flying in the background, with that song playing while American bald eagles flew overhead. The surfing scene from Apocalypse Now springs to mind, not because of its ridiculousness, that scene is so powerful because it is a parody of itself and of the entire Vietnam War and the American way. A bit of that self-deprecation would have been appreciated here.

In the same interview, he spoke of wanting to focus on the deeds of the many and the relationships they harvested; brothers fighting for each other and not for any perceived greater good. He said that he wanted to movie to not be just another Spielberg war fantasy. Again, he lied. Ironically, the greatest parts of this movie have much in common with Saving Private Ryan. What makes Fury so watchable is its portrayal of the men as men. We are reminded constantly that, although brainwashed by propaganda and bullshit rhetoric, the men are ordinary folk. They are scared, they cry, they miss their wives, they miss their kids, they miss baseball and ice cream. We learn about who these guys are and that they are so much more than the numbers that they are likely to become.

We begin to love and hate characters as much as the sides we choose, even if we don't want to. We experience every bullet and we feel every lump of mud that they crawl through. We feel as though we have been in their vaunted tank - the death machine and life saver for our crew of unlikely heroes.  

What Fury achieved above all else and what makes this movie different to all other war movies is its temporary refusal to eulogise about war. Fury is a powerful movie in the awkward silences between the men who are effectively strangers. When the bombs have dropped and our heroes have somehow managed to survive the German onslaught, there are cheers of joy, yee-haws and vehement expletives. But what happens when they stop? Once the dust has settled and the camaraderie has stopped, all these men want to do is kiss the ground they are walking on for another day and thank their deity that they are still alive, they want to cry and hug each other...but they cannot. They must remain broad-shouldered, square-jawed and with a stiff upper lip. Much like the cinematic masterpiece that is Drive, the most powerful words in this movie are the ones that are left unsaid. We have to read the moment, the body language and put ourselves into the situation to know what those men are thinking. It is then that you realise that the movie has got you. You are emotionally involved. Of course, this soon gives way to the old "the Germans all deserve to die" nonsense but for a while at least, we are walking a path not walked in a long, long time.

Herein lies the problem. Ayer said none of this in his radio interview. The movie's biggest achievement went unadvertised on the night of its launch. This leads me to believe that the movie's biggest success was down to the cast and their chemistry and given the cast - I would not be surprised. Brad Pitt is fantastic as "Wardaddy" in a roll that he plays with more intensity than anything since Twelve Monkeys (this is not World War Z - the Z is for flop). Shia LaBeouf is brilliant as the emotional, religious and fittingly-named "Bible", Michael Pena is great as the token Latino "Gordo", Jon Bernthal of The Walking Dead is solid as the token hick idiot "Coon Ass" and Logan Lerman is very, very good as the pathetic, deer-caught-in-the-headlights kid "Norman". It speaks volumes about the actors that they spent so much time in the tank leading up to the shooting of the movie to get used to the small spaces and each others' habits, personalities and smells.

Fury was designed to be a war movie with a difference. It was but not as much as it should have been. While it was great to see the dark side of war tackled for the first time in a long time, there was still far too much of the very thing Ayer claims he tried to avoid - the glorification of the allied cause. Therefore the movie has to be put down as a missed opportunity and a failure to do something that hasn't been done before. 

This movie isn't as intelligent as it thinks it is.

Rating: ★★★½

Trailer:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OGvZoIrXpg