Movie Breakdown: Fury

People are doing traditional-style reviews all over the web, so we decided to try something different.  In each “breakdown” we’ll take a look at what a film’s marketing led us to believe, how the movie actually played, and then what we learned from it all.  Read on!

The Impression:

Set in Germany during WWII, Brad Pitt is a tank commander on a dangerous mission with a crew that consists of Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena and Jon Bernthal.

The Reality:

After Fury concluded and I was heading out of the theater I overheard a guy tell his friend that he didn’t like the film because “it had nothing to offer but senseless violence.”  If you ask me, that’s a totally unfair assessment.  Aside from the violent and gruesome onscreen annihilation of hundreds of soldiers, there’s also a variety of WWII-movie cliches and a lazy Aldo Raine-light performance by Brad Pitt that should not be so easily dismissed from the flak that David Ayer’s Fury deserves.  From the outside his film appears to be a dramatic look at the dangers that Sherman tank crews faced throughout WWII, but it’s actually just another meathead war film.  Is it the worst of its kind?  Not at all.  I certainly didn’t hate it, but I will say it’s hard to watch Fury and not just constantly feel like those involved could have done a lot better.  If you see it, pay matinee prices and keep your expectations in check.

The Lesson:

Some things don’t really need to be glorified.