Fury | Teen Ink

Fury

January 19, 2020
By Anonymous

 Fury proves to be a dramatic and intense World War II film that depicts some of the harshest aspects of the war. The movie revolves around Don Collier, who is nicknamed Wardaddy, and is known for being in charge of a large tank and crew. Consisting of five men, this crew has been with one another since nearly their start in World War II, and Don has even promised to all of them that he is going to do everything in his power to keep them alive and well. Understanding that the Allies are continuing to make their last push through Europe and Germany, trying to finally grow closer to ending the war in April 1945, Don Collier realizes that there can only be so much more of this war left. However, Don has already seen some of the most brutal aspects of the war. He and his men have been forced to be united by some truly horrifying and grotesque scenes, and while all of them are no longer innocent, partaking in plenty of immoral activities, especially in the context of their treatment of ordinary civilians and how they treat captured soldiers, they have still stood by each other through it all. Utilizing a large Sherman tank, they have undergone deadly missions against enemy lines to try to advance the war effort of the Allies and finally defeat the Germans once and for all. However, Don Collier and his crew face one of their biggest challenges yet when their tank breaks down and they decide to continue fighting. Going against hundreds of German soldiers, completely outnumbered, lacking weapons, and unable to call for help, the crew decides to stay put and fight against the German enemies until the bitter end. Along with Norman, a completely inexperienced soldier who feels emotionally and mentally torn by the vicious nature of the war, the crew must help to overcome Norman's fears and all of the odds. Fighting as one unit, Wardaddy slowly helps to lead the crew and try to defeat the odds, all while attempting to strike through Nazi Germany and finish the war once and for all. However, as time goes on, and the war increasingly becomes a challenge to continue to preserve through, it seems like Don's promise of surviving until the end might not be fulfilled. 
 Fury manages to transform into a dark, violent, and brutal telling of what it was like to persevere as a soldier in World War II. Often atrociously brutal and brutally dark, comprising together plenty of thought-provoking questions that typically don't end in happy responses, the movie takes viewers through the absolute worst of the second World War. The film is far from enjoyable for the majority of the first half, practically exceeding a line of unbearable harshness. Audiences are dragged through the trenches and raw brutalities of the war, causing them to experience some of the very worst aspects of war itself. Grotesquely uncomfortable to watch at times, the movie depicts the war with no sugarcoating, including all of the natural grime, dirt, and misery that comes along with it. This is partially why the movie raises so many questions of morality and ethics, and in a time where morality didn't mean squat, the film captures this in plenty of stomach-churning moments. The line between right and wrong is blurred during wartime, and this is made prevalent by the American soldiers' treatment of captured Germans, harassment of civilians, and overall nature and attitude towards the country that they are rampaging through. While they are certainly fighting for the United States, the ugliness of human nature raised during some of their actions is simply a ferocious example of war at its worst moments. There's no denying that the film feels realistic, often capturing real soldiers' thoughts and attitudes during the war, but shedding some light on this realism does have some daunting consequences for those not prepared to see such brutality. 
 Fury tries its hardest to take viewers right to some of the rawest horrors of the war depicted, and the hard-nature of these soldiers forms the framework of the movie's structure and narrative. Through the implementation of descriptive details to slowly paint a picture of what living through the war was like, the movie is able to explore how horrendous war can be. This however can feel like literal torture at times, and watching so many characters suffer simultaneously feels more like a burden than a reward. Despite this, the movie quickly picks up when the violence and fighting of the film increases, which is quite an odd thing within itself. The movie's most notable questions of morality and human nature slowly find themselves lost amongst a cloud of blood and violence, which spins out of a battle of the tank and the crew members fighting off hundreds of Germans. While this does slightly distract away from the film's narrative, it does finally provide an escape from the movie's more unbearable concepts, and it also brings some closure to why certain characters act and think the way they do, all as a result of the threat of death at any given second. This doesn't excuse or justify the soldiers' actions, but it does provide a slight rationale that does make the movie's darker qualities just a smidge more endurable. 

 Fury is a real World War II movie in every sense of the term. The movie attempts to bring viewers through the brutalities of the second World War, and it often succeeds in achieving exactly that. The film is able to capture the crude essence of what it was like to fear dying at any given moment, and with aid from a brilliant performance fm Brad Pitt as a stern and chiseled leader of soldiers, the movie is able to bring to life the true stories of Army veterans that the movie is based off of. Although the film does include plenty of grimy flesh, charred bodies, and messy violence, it does honor the real veterans of the war. It's persuasive and exuberantly brutal, but for those that are truly interested in World War II, and are prepared for some painful horrors, the film can at least please those very viewers. For others however, the gory violence might exceed a delicate line. 


The author's comments:

"Ideals are peaceful. History is violent." - Don Collier/Wardaddy


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