FURY: COLD METAL CASKET

War is hell. Sometimes in a rush to judgment we forget that aspect. Movies have taken us from semi-glossed over picturizations of war to completely glossed over versions. Where we once had clean cut movie stars fighting in backlot dirt mounds depicting war we now have the unfazed world of cyber battles fought between drones and missiles. But no matter who declares they won’t send in ground troops there will always be a time when that become necessary. And that’s when war becomes hell, when you see the enemy up close, when you confront the families whose ground you are taking, when death becomes not just bytes but people. FURY shows you that war is hell while at the same time showing you that those involved are still human beings.

It’s 1945 and the allies are making their final push into Germany in the hopes of ending the war. Among the war weary troops fighting is Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) and his tank group: Boyd “Bible” Swan (Shia LaBeouf), Trini “Gordo” Garcia (Michael Pena) and Grady “Coon-A**” Travis (Jon Bernthall). Having just lost one of their drivers they return to base and are assigned a new member, Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman). Norman isn’t happy about joining the group having only been a typist prior to this point. Collier lets him know up front that the Army doesn’t make mistakes and to get in and start learning what’s expected of him.

Sent on a mission Ellison gets his first glimpse of what’s in store. When he doesn’t fire on a German soldier that same soldier ends up taking out the next tank in line. His hesitation costs the lives of a good man. Collier makes him well aware of that fact and presses the issue with him by forcing him to shoot a captured soldier at point blank range. Ellison may want to quit, may want to go home, but that’s not going to happen until the war ends. As Collier tells him in the movie “Ideals are peaceful. History is violent.” The theme runs throughout the film.

As the group moves on Ellison is horrified at the callous behavior of the crew. He sees them joking about the deaths of the enemy. He is hazed by them and pushed beyond his limits. Their crude mode of surviving seems terrible to view but in the end it all becomes apparent why they act this way. The things they have seen, that things they have survived, have made them stronger and able to cope with all the carnage that they witness around themselves. This is their way of making it through the war. Before long Ellison will come to understand and be a part of it as well.

The last half of the film deals with the aftermath of what they’ve experienced to this point and a final mission they are sent out on. Germans have been pinned down one group and are on the move. Collier and his men are to take over a crossroads and prevent them from getting through. Sent out with three tanks Fury (the name they’ve given their tank) is the only one to make it there. After hitting a land mine the tank’s tracks are broken and the Germans are near. Rather than run Collier points out that they’ve never left a fight left. Now all that stands between the oncoming German army and U.S. soldiers is Collier and his men.

While this may sound like your typical Hollywood depiction of heroism it is far from it. The behavior and attitudes of the men involved is so crass that you find yourself at one point in the film wondering who is worse, this group or the enemy they are fighting. As the film develops you understand what drove them to this, how it’s a way of coping with the horrors of war they have witnessed and begin to wonder just what you might do under similar circumstances. As seen through the eyes of an innocent in Ellison you realize what man is capable of under these circumstances.

With the exception of the language for some and the behavior discussed there is nothing that is bad about this movie. The acting is great and Pitt in the lead shows why he’s become a solid leading man whose abilities are based on more than good looks. Collier is the most troubled character on screen and yet shows more composure than the rest. The entire ensemble seen in this group turns in excellent performances, each given their chance for screen time and meaningful exposure of their characters.

Above all the movie depicts the horrors of war using graphic CGI combined with actual grit found in the muddy roads and country sides where the battles take place. Among the green grass and leafy trees are machines capable of unleashing death. This is a movie that doesn’t glamorize combat and yet at the same time shows the need to get the job done when it becomes necessary. It’s a dark and gritty world on the battlefield and no one walks away unscarred. The movie shows what I said at the start: War is hell.

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