However, today I would like to start off my comeback by reviewing a film that's still in theaters. Although I'm mainly writing this post to discuss intricate plot details I found interesting, I will also give a brief review. Don't worry, the analysis section will be marked with a spoilers warning for those of you that are still interested in seeing the film.
Fury is a grim, fast-paeed, and tense WWII action thriller that drops the viewer into the perspective of an American tank crew in 1945 Western Germany. Brad Pitt stars as a Platoon Sergeant whose tank crew consists of Shia Lebeouf as a devout Christian stereotype and other actors I didn't recognize playing as other war movie stereotypes including the drunk Hispanic stereotype, the psychopath stereotype, and the young, inexperienced, recruit stereotype.
The film looks and feels similar to Saving Private Ryan. Like Saving Private Ryan, the movie uses mostly browns and grays in its backgrounds and it seems the sun never comes out. Even colors that seem like they should be brighter like baby blue dresses are dulled by the bleak lens of the film. The action is also shot and choreographed in a similar fashion with quick jump cuts, cameras in and out of focus, and lots of explosions and gore. From the very beginning, there is also a sense of camaraderie established as the film constantly reminds us through dialogue that the crew has been together since the North African campaign.
One area that Fury really falls flat is in creating its own identity. Although it has lots of similarities with an instant war classic like Saving Private Ryan, it doesn't really go beyond what that movie had already done 15 years ago. When viewers saw Saving Private Ryan, they had never seen a war movie on this graphic of a level and portrayed in that dramatic of a style. Saving Private Ryan brings the visuals, sounds, and emotions of war right to the viewer's seat. Fury does the same thing but it's not as shocking the second time.
In just about every other category, Fury is a Class A film with top notch acting, production value, dialogue, props, sets, cinematography, and depth. I highly recommend Fury especially if you have an interest in WWII. Being a self-declared WWII buff, the film seemed to be historically accurate from what I had picked up on after one view. I have seen quite a few war movies (in particular), and I think I can say without a doubt that this one probably finds a spot in my top 10 (perhaps I should make a top ten war movie post in the future haha).
Overall, with a couple of drawbacks holding it back from near perfection, I would give this one Three and a half out of Four stars.
Fury Movie Poster: http://www.fatmovieguy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Fury-Movie-Poster.jpg
*********SPOILERS**************SPOILERS*************SPOILERS***********
I can be a real sucker for digging too deep into sentimental meanings in various media. However, the symbolism and allusions that this movie draws do seem particularly intentional so I'll give you some insight on some of the thoughts that I had from this movie.
Before I begin, for this section I should probably use actual character names. Since I forgot them all already, I'll just put them on here so we're all on the same page.
According to IMDb:
Brad Pitt's character: Wardaddy
Shia LaBeouf's character: Bible
The new recruit: Norman
The drunk Hispanic: Gordo
The Psychopath: Coon-Ass
The Revolver
When Wardaddy hands the revolver to Norman and forces him to kill the Nazi prisoner, Norman is more or less thrusted into the role as soldier. It isn't much longer after that moment that Norman is able to pull the trigger without hesitation whether it's the gun in the tank or the M3 Grease Gun he was given. At the end of the film, Norman is either given the gun or he picks it off of Wardaddy (I can't remember which). From that moment on, Norman has no intention to fight anymore. Although you could make the argument that he hadn't killed anyone for quite awhile before that, he had still been clutching onto his M3 in the event that he had to use it.
Basically, as soon as Norman touches that revolver again, he becomes as incapable of killing as he had been at the beginning of the film. Obviously the demeanor is a bit different at the end of the film but as far as functionality goes, Norman is not a soldier anymore as soon as he picks up that revolver. The fear in Norman's eyes when he is spotted under the tank is pretty reminiscent of the fear he had as a new recruit, thus making it obvious that he is incapable of fighting anymore. So I suppose as a symbol, the revolver stands as a gateway into and out of the war. It's a small weapon that leads Norman to shooting submachine guns and the support machine gun on the Sherman and a weapon that leads him away from shooting larger weapons, ultimately leading him to not fight anymore.
Karma/Balance
This one is pretty debatable but I'm going to throw the idea out there anyways. When Norman is under the tank and is spotted by a passing German soldier, the German soldier decides to spare his life. Why? It's hard to say for sure. He could have seen the fear in Norman's eyes and felt empathy being a young soldier himself or it could have been by chance and Norman had some good karma coming to him. Norman had received a lot of flak for hesitating to shoot the German child soldiers and costing the platoon a casualty. Since that caused Norman some grief, when he found himself in the same situation, the universe had decided that it was his turn for his life to be spared.
It's a bit of a stretch but at least worth thinking about.
Why Does Wardaddy Want The Breakfast?
This scene was particularly long (at least it felt pretty long) so the contribution of this scene to the whole movie is no mistake. However, this seems a bit out of Wardaddy's character to request this breakfast. In general, you think he would only have his mind set on being ready for the next battle or keeping his eyes open for a counter attack (which was certainly probable since the city they had just took over seemed like a good size). So, why does Wardaddy act the way he does here?
Remember the scene near the beginning of the film when Wardaddy isolates himself and clutches his head in his hands? It's an indication that the tough guy attitude he puts on is a front to keep his men alive. Deep down, he actually can't take the war anymore and probably misses civilian life. So when he spots the German women in their apartment what better way to escape the war than to have them make a civilian breakfast? For a few hours, Wardaddy can forget the war and succumb to his forced simulation of civilian life.
One other thing though, why does he only bring Norman and not the other crew mates? Well, it's simple. It's because Norman is the only one that wouldn't fuck up a nice breakfast. This theory was reaffirmed when the rest of the war-jaded crew spot them in the apartment and inevitably disrupt the nice breakfast they were having.
Foreshadowing Emma's Death
This one is rather obvious as Norman gives a palm reading to Emma and predicts that she will only experience true love once. This really leaves only two possibilities (assuming that Norman and Emma fall in love at first sight which is basically what the movie implies between the piano playing scene and Emma deciding to sit right next to Norman at the breakfast table instead of any of the other empty chairs). Either Emma and Norman get separated for eternity or Emma dies. Considering the grim outlook this film has established on the setting and circumstances, it is almost too easy to predict that Emma is going to die. When the artillery comes and stuff gets blown up, the look on Norman's face peering out from the tank tells you that the apartment is destroyed and the ladies are dead before they even have to show it.
God's Role On The Outcome of the Crew
The allusions to God that the movie makes are particularly frequent and a running theme throughout the whole film (which is pretty cliché for a war film). However, I believe they use it rather well here if you just dig a little deeper.
I know it's Hollywood but there's a lot of difficult shots and "lucky" coincidences that the crew happens to get in this film. This is particularly emphasized on the last camera shot of the film when they show the tank which is completely missing the back end yet the cab is completely intact. Secondly, in the last scene, the Waffen SS are particularly inept when trying to take out the crew (which is pretty surprising considering that the Waffen SS were just about the most feared outfit of the war). Not only did they use relatively rudimentary tactics but they all ran away like like a bunch of panzies when they discovered that the crew was in the tank (not what I think of when I think of guys who are elite troops) In addition, what really bothered me were the Panzerschreck shots that are missed at point blank. I mean come on, these guys are supposed to be highly trained! On top of all of that, Wardaddy can seem to stay on that machine gun all day without getting hit by a stray bullet. I think that's pretty ridiculous.
But maybe this is because God has a watchful eye over the crew. Maybe the filmmakers purposefully made these scenes ridiculous, particularly the last scene, to imply that God is trying to keep the crew out of harm's way. It seemed throughout the whole movie, the only time the crew truly struggled was when they had to take on the Tiger tank. That was pretty intense seeing that they lost the rest of the platoon trying to take it out. But other than that, the last scene was the only other time they seemed to really struggle. And even considering the circumstances, they killed a lot of the Waffen SS before being defeated, a very unrealistic amount.
But if God has a watchful eye on the crew, why does he? Does God see this tank crew as a necessary implement for defeating the inherent evil that are the Nazis? Does he want to protect the good that's left of the crew in Norman? Does he feel an obligation to protect them due to their religious devotion? It's hard to say if any of these are true at all.
But if God has a watchful eye over the crew, then why does the crew die at the end? Well, it's simple, the German Sniper is a symbol for the Grim Reaper. The way he wore his headscarf certainly reminded me of depictions of the Grim Reaper, especially with his face covered the way it was. And well... even God can't stop the inevitable fate of death. Karma was able to save Norman though (as mentioned before), the rest of the crew had fought in countless battles not taking any prisoners or sparing any lives so they had no good karma to balance out.
The Tank is Home
This is particularly easy to understand so I'll just list the reasons why the Tank is a symbol of home for the crew.
- The tank has pictures of family members, german collectibles, etc.
- The crew is more comfortable in the tank. "I have the best job in the world"
- When Coon-Ass is sent with Norman outside the tank to search the house, he seems particularly uneasy whereas he's completely comfortable in or on top of the tank.
- At the end, Wardaddy refuses to retreat and leave the tank behind (not because he wants to follow orders but because he has a personal attachment to the tank)
- When Wardaddy is wounded, instead of choosing to die while manning the gun, he ducks under the hatch and dies within the peace of home.
Why Fury?
War is Fury for the Platoon. The fury of being deathmakers for so long throughout the African and Western European campaigns swells inside the crew, festering and eating their souls from the inside making them unable to understand anything but the killing. This is especially explained during Gordo's monologue about post D-Day activities of just continuous death and murders of innocent horses and the incredibly large body count they accumulated throughout the day. Inside themselves, there is a fury about what they had done and what they are going to have to do in the future.
The Lifeless German Officer
One other thing: remember the German Officer that was running the surrendering outfit consisting of children? I'm not sure if this was purposely done or not but he seemed particularly lifeless and cold when the crew grabbed him and executed him. He seemed like he wasn't even fighting anymore, like he was a CGI puppet being pulled around. Perhaps there was a remorse for what he had done or maybe he felt hopeless. It's hard to say but I found it particularly odd how lifeless he was. It's almost like he wasn't even human at all...