'Fury' Review

This evening, my family and I took a trip to the cinema to see 'Fury', Brad Pitt's latest film, together. I knew it was about a group of American soldiers in WWII, and had seen the trailer when I saw 'Gone Girl' a few weeks ago, marking it as one to watch. But I hadn't been expecting anything like this.

The month before the 100 year anniversary of the beginning of WWI, any war film has a greater resonance than it would have in other years. However, 'Fury' went beyond this and far exceeded my expectations. It was a harrowing, yet beautifully shot piece which genuinely made me question my own beliefs and gorgeously documented the futility, tragedy and brutality of war, as well as the incredibly bravery and spirit of the men fighting on the front line, and how they refused to be defeated.

Brad Pitt portrayed the tough leader incredibly well, and his emotional connection to the war was felt very strongly. The poignant moment at the crossroads where Collier instructs his crew that he will hold the crossroad until the end, even as the hoards of SS soldiers come marching towards them, really struck a chord. It was also moving to see the veteran's softer side as he takes the rookie, Norman under his wing in the German town and protects him from some of the worse ribbing he receives from the rest of the crew.

I admit to being a big fan of Logan Lerman, and I was not disappointed. This is a role in a very different genre of film to any I've seen him in before, and he played it with an expertise and a vulnerability that was heartbreaking to watch. He exemplified the youth of many of the soldiers, and it was easy to imagine him as a brother or a son of anybody in the audience. Especially in some of the more emotional moments, his depth of character and skill as an actor really shone through. In every part he plays there is an honesty to the role; the viewer feels a strong connection and he is not afraid to bare his soul, and I think this is the reason I enjoy his work so much; there is such a strong genuinely to it. The character arc of the young soldier who was merely eight weeks into army life was amazing to watch, but also slightly unnerving as you watched his almost overnight maturity.  

Shia LaBeouf was unrecognisable (to me) as 'Bible', and his character showed the gentle nature that so many of the men had, and how this was forced into redundancy as they had to change in order to survive. The frequent religious references he made were also poignant and inspiring, without being preachy and irrelevant, and I felt they added a beauty to an often coarse and vulgar dialogue.

The relationships between the crew were fantastic; strong, like you would expect, but also realistic. Being cooped up with the same people hours on end would cause tension, and the writers recognised this and acted accordingly. The new love destroyed by war was shocking, but sadly reflected the realism of the piece and the reality of the world outside the fighting. All in all, it was a beautiful and cleverly constructed piece, with superb acting from every single member of the cast and incredible camera shots. I would thoroughly recommend that you catch it while you can!