Review of Fury (2014) by Deadsparrow — 09 Dec 2014
The critics' reviews of Fury, at least the ones I read, led me to expect a realistic depiction of tank warfare in WW2, an exciting story line and some reasonable acting. The acting was OK and the characters generally seemed to be trying hard despite the formulaic roles: tough but caring Sarge (Pitt), mandatory minority (Pena, a Mexican-American since the army was segregated at the time), bible-thumping Southerner (LaBeouf), sensitive-rookie-who-becomes-a-man-after-the-ordeal- of-combat( (Lerman) and the psychotic cop from Walking Dead (Bernthal).
There is plenty of activity but it is comic book, juvenile stuff and the writer of this epic was obviously never in the army and never saw action. Nor has he bothered to read any realistic accounts of people who have been there.
Had he done so he would have known that no tank regiment drives in to a town for a showdown through groups of wandering civilians who don't seem to be aware there's a war on. He would have known that preparing to ambush a relieving German column, some of whose members are clearly shown shouldering panzerfausts (aka bazookas or RPGs), with a single immobile tank would have been short and pointless.
When the showdown comes, moreover, the Germans apparently forget they have anti-tank weapons and run around the tank like Red Indians around a covered wagon, which allows many of them to be gunned down like .
..Red Indians. As In Saving Private Ryan, the hero dies a soldier's death or at least the sort of death Ayers imagines heroic soldiers die. That is, after the Germans finally get around to lobbing a couple of grenades in the tank Pitt's corpse is not painted to the interior as would happen with an explosion in a confined spaces.
His body reclines heroically in its final pose, all limbs attached, where it is found by the rookie after he crawls back in to the tank after his life has been inexplicably spared by an SS trooper who discovers him hiding underneath it.
A good movie for 12 year old boys but not for adults..
This review of Fury (2014) was written by Deadsparrow on 09 Dec 2014.
Fury has generally received positive reviews.
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