Fury (2014)

I enjoy quite a few war movies, but recommending them is seldom easy. Battle-heavy ones in particular threaten to run together; if you don't crave mere violence in your viewings, they'd better offer something new. This goes double for depictions of WWII, since there are so many.

The most immediately distinctive feature of Fury is that the (anti)heroes ride a tank. You may welcome the inherent change of dynamics therein -- partly with a smaller, tight-knit group with more armor than usual -- tho if they spent any less time on the outside the tank, I'd get too claustrophobic. The next cinematic battle I see had better have more running around. As it is, I split my viewing over the course of two nights, which is not a good sign for a little more than two hours.

The next factor to stand out is the grit. You may think that Saving Private Ryan and Full Metal Jacket will leave you ready for whatever else Hollywood will throw at you, and maybe you'd be right, but I found myself saying "Gheeww" out loud to nobody a few times. Let's just say you'd better get used to incomplete and/or disrespected corpses, and I wasn't the least bit surprised at the on-screen vomiting.

Grit doesn't stop at gore, either. When novice Norman joins the four guys already in the tank labeled "Fury," they kinda live up to the label with classless, profane, bigoted bitterness. He keeps finding more reasons to wish the Army never transferred him from his desk job. Even the relatively sympathetic sergeant nicknamed Wardaddy (played by Brad Pitt at 50) pushes him far out of his moral comfort zone, until he reaches a similar jadedness. Me, I hadn't felt so sorry for WWII German soldiers since...OK, Pitt's Inglourious Basterds, not that long ago.

Fortunately, if you tolerate the first third or so, the rest of the film should be easy to watch. Sure, things get much worse for the heroes themselves by the climax, but at least it's not so gross, and we've seen enough of their good side to care what happens to them. And doubt whether any will come out alive.

Credible? I suppose, in terms of plot, dialog, and acting. Who knew Shia LaBoeuf was such a method actor? Further research tells me the filmmakers went to a lot of trouble for authenticity. Most of the reported errors would not be noticed by viewers with no military background. Still, I wonder about the streaking colored lights of the gunfire, which reminded me of Star Wars blasters more than anything else. There are also unsubtle bits of arguable artistry, such as Norman coming in with a pale baby face next to the dirty, wounded, unshaven comrades.

Fury has garnered several awards and nominations, but I understand why the Academy Awards has omitted it. For all its quality, it just doesn't offer enough that's good and fresh at the same time.