1945, The remnants of a long, hard fought battle are strewn about the mud encrusted field, numerous casualties can be seen through the smoke. A horse trots by its rider is quickly tackled to the ground and is promptly greeted with a knife through his eye. This is how we are first greeted by the worn torn and battle ready sergeant Collier who leads a small group consisting of Swan (Labeouf), Garcia (Pena) and Travis (Bernthal) in a tank named Fury which lacks the technology of the Nazi war machine what they do have though are the bonds of brotherhood that war creates. as their journey has taken them from North Africa to to the final allied push into the heart of Nazi Germany, they have lost one of their own and are given a new gunner for their crew, Norman (Lerman) a young typist with no battle training who must learn through the only option available trial by fire. When their tank strikes a mine becoming immobile they quickly realize they are the last line of defense for a much needed supply line. Hundreds of soldiers march towards the broken down Tank and its crew. Without any other options it’s up to collier and his team to defend the crossroads and beat the Nazi’s back.
While it would be simple to say the plot sounds very reminiscent to that of a WWII era 3o0, simply substituting thousands of Persians for hundreds of Nazis and for 5 GI’s and a tank. Fury is far more than that. While it does a fine job in the fighting department particularly in the final battle which requires a solid suspension of disbelief. It is really a look at war through the eyes of an innocent young man thrust into a situation he desperately doesn’t want to be a part of. We see him grow and harden yet still maintain his innocence. The few days that Norman has with this tank crew he experiences more than he had his entire life. As a soft typist he is forced to clean the spot where the former team member was killed including removing remnants of his face. He is forced to kill someone against his will and ultimately learns what self sacrifice and brotherhood truly are.
The journey of Norman is dirty and grimy we see him do things against his will and his own moral code only to realize that he must do what is best for the betterment of everyone not just himself. He must learn that he is in a war and it is kill or be killed. The action is solid with significant carnage, quickly losing count of exploding heads and the dismemberment of limbs. While the way it is marketed you think that this is strictly a Brad Pitt movie he is one part of ensemble with the main protagonist being Norman. The real star though is the camaraderie of this tank crew, there is enough investment into the character development to make you believe these guys have each others backs no matter what.
The climax is a bit over the top and the running time is a bit on the long side yet its the glimpses of Honor and personal sacrifice that make it enjoyable.
Grade-87