Fury, 2014.
Directed by David Ayer.
Starring Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs, and Scott Eastwood.
SYNOPSIS:
Fury, David Ayer’s 2014 movie about the claustrophobic horrors of tank warfare during the waning days of World War II, returns to 4K Ultra HD in a handsome Steelbook that also includes a Blu-ray. You get a code for a digital copy too, but note that the 46-minute The Tanks of Fury documentary found in the previous release is MIA here. Not sure why, but there’s plenty of other bonus content here.
World War II may feel like territory that’s been mined to death during the 80 years since it ended, but the enormous scope of that global conflict means that there are always more stories to tell. Case in point: David Ayer’s 2014 film Fury, which takes on the unique horror faced by tank crews during the war.
Brad Pitt plays Don “Wardaddy” Collier, a tank commander during the last days of the war in Europe in April 1945. He’s seen a lot of shit, as has his crew: gunner Boyd “Bible” Swan (Shia LaBeouf), loader Grady “Coon-Ass” Travis (Jon Bernthal), and driver Trini “Gordo” Garcia (Michael Peña).
As the film opens, they’re dealing with the offscreen death of assistant driver–bow gunner “Red,” who is replaced by Private First Class Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman), a clerk assigned to the tank crew because the army is running low on troops. Wardaddy isn’t happy about having someone so green in his tank, but he puts up with since he has no other choice.
As the crew of “Fury,” as their tank is known, joins a convoy for a mission pushing deeper into Germany, Norman draws the ire of Wardaddy and the rest of the crew as he repeatedly struggles to make decisions in stressful situations. It’s a trope we’ve seen before — the grizzled commanding officer dealing with a new recruit who hasn’t become desensitized to combat yet — but the fact that the situation plays out in such a claustrophobic environment puts a fresh spin on it.
In the end, Fury is a movie that immerses the viewer in the stressful hell of late-war Europe, where morality increasingly became ambiguous and no one could let their guard down, despite the fact that the conflict was winding down, lest they find themselves added to the casualty list. Putting the characters in a tank, especially during the third act as they face seemingly insurmountable odds, only adds to the effect.
Moreso than in other World War II films, the crew of Fury feels like a family that’s coming apart at the seams, trying to hang on for just one more day. It’s a movie full of emotional gut punches that land through glances, silences, and shared trauma, without hitting the viewer over the head with speeches or high-and-mighty phrases. It’s a film I look forward to revisiting sometime down the road.
Fury has been issued on 4K Ultra HD before, but this new edition features a handsome Steelbook and Dolby Vision, if those things are important to you. You get 4K and Blu-ray discs along with a code for a digital copy. None of the extras are new, but they provide a nice overview of the making of the film.
You should note, however, that the 46-minute The Tanks of Fury documentary, which digs into the making of the film as well as the realities of World War II tank warfare, is missing here. It was found on the previously released 4K Ultra HD disc, so I’m not sure why it was ommitted. It’s not found with the digital copy, which doesn’t include everything listed below. (Another reason to own the movies you love on physical media.)
The bonus features are split across the two discs. Here’s what you’ll find on the 4K platter:
• Tiger 131 (5:25): We learn about the Allies’ acutal capture of a Tiger tank during World War II and how one of those ancient war machines was used in the film.
• Heart of Fury (6:36): This is a tour of the inside of the tank, hosted by Michael Peña.
• Clash of Armor (6:53): Check out the pros and cons of the Germans’ Tiger tanks and the Americans’ Sherman tanks.
• No Guts, No Glory: The Horrors of Combat (28:06): This is a pretty intense look into how director David Ayer set out to not only make this film look authentic but also feel authentic when it came to exploring the trauma of combat.
Over on the Blu-ray disc, we have nearly an hour of deleted and extended scenes as well as this batch of featurettes:
• Blood Brothers (11:08): Unsurprisingly, the best way to get a group of actors to realistically portray soldiers in a war is to put them through hell, so to speak, so they know what it feels like, at least to some extent. (I realize that anyone who has experienced actual combat would likely say the boot camp portrayed here pales in comparison.) This featurette digs into that part of the pre-production process.
• Director’s Combat Journal (17:32): A behind-the-scenes look at Ayer’s direction on set and how he and his crew handled various technical challenges.
• Armored Warriors: The Real Men Inside the Shermans (12:11): Actual World War II veterans share their experiences serving in tank crews.
• Taming the Beasts: How to Drive, Fire & Shoot Inside a 30-Ton Tank (12:48): A big part of Fury’s verisimilitude is the fact that real World War II tanks were located and used during shooting. This featurette gives us a rundown of what it was like dealing with those beasts during filming.
A photo gallery rounds out the platter.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
