FURY

"The best job I ever had!"



          Fury is a film about a tank and her crew in the final moments of war. It focuses on the drama and the action, and tries to achieve as much authenticity. They seem to try and imitate the tone of Saving Private Ryan, but not to that level. The movie lacks in plot, but their authenticity combined with some dramatic tensions and tank battles makes this feel like a fresh change, after a string of science-fiction, fantasy blockbusters in recent time.

          I would really have to say that this movie really did take a more serious & authentic tone, making it, in a way, kind of darker & tragic. So, for people who can't enjoy films like this, they probably won't. But those who can appreciate the nature of this film, will most likely enjoy it, the way I did. It was not as bloody & tragic as Saving Private Ryan, which could be considered good, because SPR is a bit too much. This one still plays the action sequences to their strengths, which leads me to my next point:

          The action feels bloody brilliant. There are moments of tension like in the wait for the tank's cannon to be reloaded, and whether it will miss or hit. It's a different kind of action than what we usually see (gunfight, sword fight, hand-to-hand), yet it's very suspenseful, and I really appreciate the magnitude of the sound effects. It felt real, and gave it a more devastating and powerful feel, the sound of every cannon, every bullet, every mortar.

          Unfortunately, the plot is so predictable and cliched, and is very straightforward. But the characters are great, and the bond built within the tank crew is the core of the relationship. At first, it's a bit hard to like the crew (though understandable, given their experience with the war), but then slowly, we begin to like the characters one by one, and after midway, we feel like we are already part of the crew, part of the tank, and we just want to root for them. And everything that happens to them just keeps adding on to the drama. And little humour is to be expected from a movie of this nature.

          It does feel like a fresh film, because it's been a while since we see one like this. It still plays to their strengths with some explosive action sequences, strong suspense & drama. But those who go to the films for just some fun, probably won't find it here. Those who can't appreciate, will enjoy the film. Others probably won't.

VERDICT:

Good: Explosive action sequences, Strong suspense & drama, Great characters

Bad: Predictable plot, Little humour

SCORE: 7.0