FURY: War in all its gore!

The World Wars are the toughest tests that modern humanity has faced. The world torn into two factions, fighting and killing each other, some without knowing why or whom they were doing it for. Everyone was forced to take sides, no one could remain immune. No wonder, these two periods of great strife keep producing stories that resonate in our minds even 60 years after all the brutalities happened. We have lost count of the number of movies that have been made on WWII, butt we know for sure that there are yet many more stories of courage, desperation, suffering and struggles that remain untold. Fury tells us one such story.

Its set during the fag end of WWII when the Allied forces are making their last march through Germany. The Nazis are putting up a resistance that would take a great force to quell, and their tanks are far far superior to that of the Americans. Deep behind enemy lines, a company of tanks is sent on a mission to clear the road for troops behind. The tanks are outsmarted, outgunned and overpowered, until only one remains. What can one tank do against the fury of a whole company of Nazis?

Fury reminds us a lot of some previous World War movies, Saving Private Ryan, in particular. It is set at approximately the same time, after D Day at Normandy. It involves a group of men, lead by a veteran, who are sent on a mission that traverses through many towns that are German control. The only difference here is that there is no ‘Ryan’ to save. The other similarities are unmistakable, like the young typist, who has never even held a gun, being assigned to the company because of a lack of options. The veteran, played by Brad Pitt, too is quite similar to Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan. He has his own insecurities and fears about the war, but he never lets his men know it, and he is always ready for a new mission.

It is an effective portrayal of the muddled and tortured minds of the men who had the misfortune of fighting in such a huge war. They do not want to kill, they do not want to die, and they know that if they do not kill they might have to die. It shows us that the men who have been in the war a long time have adapted themselves to this reality, while a young man who is thrust into action takes time understanding what war is all about. The way war transforms his mind and him as a person is very well plotted through Fury. The movie also takes time to show us how even between the ravages of war, they crave for some quiet time, some gentleness, like the scene in the apartment.

No holds are barred in showing the brutalities of war. There are no sentiments, no teary farewells, just men falling left, right and center and their comrades moving on after just a glance, that is what war is all about. The bullet showers, the bombs and the tanks look very real, and every time a tank is in a confrontation with another, we are literally on the seat edge, not knowing what the next move will be or where the next shell will come from.

And then comes the final confrontation. If nearly 80% of the movie had only isolated battles with long periods of drama (very much engaging and revealing about the characters), the last standoff more than makes up for it. You could call it a Trojan Horse, though it is not exactly one (that would make it two for Brad Pitt after Troy), and the strategy is really exciting, even though you know it is ultimately suicidal (but then all war movies end that way, don’t they)

The performances are all intense as demanded by war. But one thing about Brad Pitt. You can throw all the smoke, grime and blood of war at him, but his good looks still manage to shine through. The way his character meets its end though is very much reminiscent of the way Tom Hanks dies in Saving Private Ryan.

Fury may not have a whole lot of originality, because we have seen WWII movies with a similar arc before. But it is very effectively shot, portrayed and performed, and will drill the brutalities of war into your conscience. The makers could have been a bit more careful to avoid similarities with Saving Private Ryan, but Fury remains a strong statement and documentation of a WWII tale nonetheless. Definitely recommended.

The brutality and futility of war – a heroic one too!

3.5/5

TICKET OF THE WEEK: BRAD PITT vs. BEN AFLECK

This week is really exciting as tow big stars come together for a clash at the Indian box office. Two weeks earlier it was Robert Downey Jr. vs. Nicholas Cage, in a battle that Downey seems to have won quite convincingly. This week it gets bigger with new poster boy of ‘pure’ cinema Ben Afleck and old faithful Brad Pitt fighting it out. The good thins is both their movies carry excellent pre-release and overseas reports, and neither of them is a routine action plot with the hero firing at aliens or terrorists.

                            

Gone Girl:

Ben Afleck is back in the big time after a couple of years. After Argo, great things are being expected of him every time he does anything on the screen, and Gone Girl seems to be one that has the potential of living up to all those expectations. Billed as a thriller, it shows the character of Ben Afleck being framed for the murder of his wife. Sounds like a very interesting premise and for those who have seen Argo and know the promise that Ben Afleck holds as a cinematic brain, then you surely wouldn’t miss this one.

Fury:

Brad Pitt on screen is always an exciting prospect, and when it is in the action/drama category, it is bound to be almost irresistible. Pitt’s last outing was World War Z which didn’t quite satisfy everyone. This time, he drops the Z and goes back to a real world war and explores the minds of soldiers marching to the warfront. Any movie based on a World War will have interesting, gripping and often touching stories to tell. It is indeed a wonder that more than 60 years after these dark times ended, the stories about them, of the people who fought and died iijn them, and of the families that suffered in silence, are yet not fully told. It shows us that humanity itself was greatly challenged when the whole world went to war without knowing what or whom they were fighting. The movie has some well known faces besides Brad Pitt and is surely something you got to catch on the big screen.