Alyssa Couball, Writing Intern

Brad Pitt plays Don "Wardaddy" Collier in the role of a commander of a five man tank crew. The five man crew
includes Boyd ‘Bible’ Swan (Shia LaBeouf), the Hispanic driver Trini "Gordo" Garcia (Michael Pena), and the foul-mouthed mechanic Grady ‘CoonAss’ Travis (Jon
Bernthal). As the movie opens, the men have just lost one of their drivers in
battle and meet a young man who is not very experienced in the world of
killing. His name’s Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman). I almost hate to say it, but
I enjoyed the youngster’s role in the movie more than Brad Pitt’s. As the story
progresses, the crew becomes more and more fed up with the new kid. He can’t
stand the sight of blood, or even fire a gun. Eventually, Ellison begins to
surprise everyone as he first loses his virginity, then learns the gun and how
to use it. Ellison finally meshes and becomes one of the boys. In the end,
Fury, (the name of the group’s tank) is left to fend for itself as the other
tanks become ambushed. Will these five brave soldiers defeat 300+ SS troops? Will
they crack under pressure?
The problem with this movie is that we expect too much from
it. Commentators and audiences compare this movie to other war movies such as
Saving Private Ryan. This movie does not come close. Saving Private Ryan is a
war classic that cannot and should not be duplicated. Also, don’t watch a movie like
American Sniper before watching Fury. That was my mistake. Or, just don’t watch
it at all. The dialogue drags. There is a scene in the movie where Pitt
and Ellison meet with a few German women. The sequence starts nicely, but seems
to drag on forever. And while the plot of
the movie is entirely realistic, the end scene is nothing short of implausible.
The end results in the groups’ tank breaking down. They’re forced to
fight 300+ SS troops. Facing impossible odds, the five men overwhelm most of
the 300. All that being said, the movie does have a few strong points.
Director David Ayer did a nice job of highlighting dark and
light scenes. The portrayal of the time period is almost spot on. The drama is
heartfelt, such as Ellison’s internal struggle. It’s nice to see his transition
from trembling-under-pressure to hero. Had the movie focused more on the
characters and dialogue, over the battle scenes, I would recommend it.
Unfortunately, Fury just doesn't hold up in a world of similar war movies.
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