Fury
3.5/4
Starring: Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Shia LaBoeuf, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs
Rated R for Strong Sequences of War Violence, Some Grisly Images, and Language Throughout
In 1998, Steven Spielberg released his revisionist WWII epic, "Saving Private Ryan," which changed the face of war films forever. The days of gung-ho macho warriors were over. Movies like "Black Hawk Down" and "Enemy at the Gates" were the face of war in film.
This year, screenwriter-turned-director David Ayer has tried to do something similar. "Fury" isn't as innovative nor is its punch as strong as "Saving Private Ryan," but Ayer takes some of Spielberg's ideas and further develops them. Next to the battle scenes, the most impressive aspect of the film is Ayer's attention to detail, which is fine-tuned and adds to the sense of realism.
"Fury" is more of a slice-of-life movie than a story-oriented one, although that's only sort of true. It details the experiences of a tank crew at the tail end of WWII. The top (leader) is Don "Wardaddy" Collier (Pitt). Also a part of the crew are Boyd "Bible" Swan (LaBoeuf), Trini "Gordo" Garcia (Pena) and Grady "Coon-Ass" Travis (Bernthal). They lost one of their crew in the last battle, and their replacement is Norman Ellison (Lerman), a typist with no training or experience inside a tank.
The battle scenes are the film's undisputed highlights. Ayer has always shied away from making his movies cinematic, which can be seen in "Sabotage" and "End of Watch," his two previous films. He prefers realism, which he accomplishes without calling attention to it. In previous films, there was a documentary style quality, and that has been carried over. But "Fury" is not "Cloverfield" (nor should it be). He doesn't shake the camera or intentionally make awkward cuts. Yet the effect is just the same. The battle scenes are real, scary and frequently brutal. Ayer has paid careful attention to the technical aspects of the story, but doesn't highlight them. For example, we see tracer bullets (and learn what they are), we see how people deal with a dead man inside their tank, and how people really die when they are cut down by machine gun fire.
Sadly, the performances are not up to snuff. The acting is, on the whole, flat, and characterization is non-existent. No one, apart from Don and Norman has much of a personality. In the best movies of this ilk (such as "Saving Private Ryan" and "U-571," which Ayer co-wrote, although he hated what the studio did to his script), we understand and care about the people in the film. That doesn't happen here, which limits the film's emotional component. I suppose the acting is partly to blame. Brad Pitt is hammy while Shia LeBoeuf is just awful. Michael Pena is okay, but doesn't have a lot to do. Logan Lerman and especially Jon Bernthal are in top form, however. They are consistently on their game, and Bernthal, a character actor who normally plays sleazy characters, deserves (but won't get) an Oscar nomination for playing the slightly unhinged hick.
Ayer has attempted a lot. He provides a realistic view of daily life during war time while telling a story about five men in a tank. Ultimately, his ambitions exceed his grasp, but he has taken that chance and gone the extra mile. I always applaud directors who are willing to take that risk, especially if they succeed. "Fury" is a mixed bag, but the stuff that works really works, while the stuff that doesn't is at least acceptable. The action scenes radiate with tension and unpredictability, there is a sense that anything could happen at any time. A brief encounter between Norman and a local girl (Alicia von Rittberg) is quite touching; the scene lasts for far too long, but there is good material there.
"Fury" is like that. It's by no means a perfect movie, but it is at least willing to venture outside the norm. And it usually succeeds in doing so.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Shia LaBoeuf, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs
Rated R for Strong Sequences of War Violence, Some Grisly Images, and Language Throughout
In 1998, Steven Spielberg released his revisionist WWII epic, "Saving Private Ryan," which changed the face of war films forever. The days of gung-ho macho warriors were over. Movies like "Black Hawk Down" and "Enemy at the Gates" were the face of war in film.
This year, screenwriter-turned-director David Ayer has tried to do something similar. "Fury" isn't as innovative nor is its punch as strong as "Saving Private Ryan," but Ayer takes some of Spielberg's ideas and further develops them. Next to the battle scenes, the most impressive aspect of the film is Ayer's attention to detail, which is fine-tuned and adds to the sense of realism.
"Fury" is more of a slice-of-life movie than a story-oriented one, although that's only sort of true. It details the experiences of a tank crew at the tail end of WWII. The top (leader) is Don "Wardaddy" Collier (Pitt). Also a part of the crew are Boyd "Bible" Swan (LaBoeuf), Trini "Gordo" Garcia (Pena) and Grady "Coon-Ass" Travis (Bernthal). They lost one of their crew in the last battle, and their replacement is Norman Ellison (Lerman), a typist with no training or experience inside a tank.
The battle scenes are the film's undisputed highlights. Ayer has always shied away from making his movies cinematic, which can be seen in "Sabotage" and "End of Watch," his two previous films. He prefers realism, which he accomplishes without calling attention to it. In previous films, there was a documentary style quality, and that has been carried over. But "Fury" is not "Cloverfield" (nor should it be). He doesn't shake the camera or intentionally make awkward cuts. Yet the effect is just the same. The battle scenes are real, scary and frequently brutal. Ayer has paid careful attention to the technical aspects of the story, but doesn't highlight them. For example, we see tracer bullets (and learn what they are), we see how people deal with a dead man inside their tank, and how people really die when they are cut down by machine gun fire.
Sadly, the performances are not up to snuff. The acting is, on the whole, flat, and characterization is non-existent. No one, apart from Don and Norman has much of a personality. In the best movies of this ilk (such as "Saving Private Ryan" and "U-571," which Ayer co-wrote, although he hated what the studio did to his script), we understand and care about the people in the film. That doesn't happen here, which limits the film's emotional component. I suppose the acting is partly to blame. Brad Pitt is hammy while Shia LeBoeuf is just awful. Michael Pena is okay, but doesn't have a lot to do. Logan Lerman and especially Jon Bernthal are in top form, however. They are consistently on their game, and Bernthal, a character actor who normally plays sleazy characters, deserves (but won't get) an Oscar nomination for playing the slightly unhinged hick.
Ayer has attempted a lot. He provides a realistic view of daily life during war time while telling a story about five men in a tank. Ultimately, his ambitions exceed his grasp, but he has taken that chance and gone the extra mile. I always applaud directors who are willing to take that risk, especially if they succeed. "Fury" is a mixed bag, but the stuff that works really works, while the stuff that doesn't is at least acceptable. The action scenes radiate with tension and unpredictability, there is a sense that anything could happen at any time. A brief encounter between Norman and a local girl (Alicia von Rittberg) is quite touching; the scene lasts for far too long, but there is good material there.
"Fury" is like that. It's by no means a perfect movie, but it is at least willing to venture outside the norm. And it usually succeeds in doing so.
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