Fury, written and directed with exuberant passion, and dedication by David Ayer (End of Watch) is a raw, jampacked, merciless war-escapade that can leave you with a few scars by the rolling credits. However, Ayer never steers clear from the M rated game violence you may expect. Instead you will see heads exploding, bullets flying, and some of the better edited battle sequences in recent memory. The R rating is immensely glorified, but well earned.

Brad Pitt is terrific, as the head of the Sherman tank crew, Sgt Dan “Wardaddy” Collier. The ‘fury’ crew themselves have been together for six years. In those years, gunner Boyd Swan (an encompassing, Shia LaBeouf), loader Grady Travis (Jon Bernthal) and driver Trini Garcia (Michael Pena) have all checked their morals at the door and look at murder differently than you or me. It would be the arrival of the rookie-desk clerk Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman) that would help them realize the torment of their destruction.

Ayer more than captures the essence of his premise, spending a lot of the time actually inside the tank, and getting to know each and every character. Some of the broader sequences (including the climax) are albeit predictable. You will leave feeling just as battered as the crew. Because Ayer beats us to a pulp, almost relentlessly, and never holds back.

While each and every cast member earns my high praise, my hat goes off to Logan Lerman, who gives the best performance of his career to date. Anchoring the film with a shattering rendition of just exactly how innocence looks in the midst of chaos. Then Lerman turns into a man, and not long after, we’re rooting for him every step of the way.

‘Fury’ locks and loads, just don’t expect many nominations come award season.

B+  

By: Nate Adams

Directed By: David Ayer

Rated: R

Runtime: 135 mins

Studio: Sony

Release Date: October 17th 2014

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