Review of Fury (2014) by Thequietgamer — 06 May 2015

A WW2 film that isn't just about blood and guts. While there is plenty of tense, violent combat the focus is more on how it affects the soldiers involved. In the beginning of the film we are introduced to a tank crew who has just lost a man and have been beaten down by the war. They're tired, irritated, and more than just a little bit sick of each other. Then comes in rookie "Norman" (Lerman) who whose innocence is at odds with the psychologically tormented crew of M4 Sherman tank "Fury.".

The movie isn't afraid to show you just how messed up these men have become. They are all superbly cast. Their actions are believable. The war has changed them into vulgar, almost completely unfeeling people. There are moments here that show that the U.S. soldiers weren't just heroes going into Germany and that they showed genuine hate not just towards the Nazi army, but towards German people as a whole.

It's more of a psychological war film. Yet near the end it turns into your predictable war film. With heroic sacrifices and a long, bloody conflict. The action and gore are cranked up to 10 making it feel more like what you would expect from a war film. It packs the same emotions you could expect from a WW2 film since "Saving Private Ryan" came out and changed the game. Mix that with the fact that you can totally predict how things are going to turn out for Lerman's character and you have a film that feels a touch familiar.

However it's views in the psychological effects of war and attention to detail in regards to combat from behind the controls of a tank make it worth a watch. It's a little bit more than your average war film. With a cast this excellent they would have had a hard time not succeeding even if they did just go for a straight up generic WW2 film. However they went the extra mile and gave us a new take on war combat by showing us tank warfare and taking a look on how war effects people's mentalities. A few familiar aspects of war films are hanging around, but the majority of it is a fresh take on the genre.

I give "Fury" an 8.3/10.