Fury (2014) is a fictional war film about a tank battalion during the last days of WW2. I wasn’t sure if there was any particular theme for the film. On one hand, I felt that there might be an anti-war theme since the film takes its time to show how the horrors of war change the main character Norman in a negative way. However, there is also a significant amount of time spent on how Norman is inducted into the brotherhood with the tank crew (eventually earning the war name “Machine”). In fact, as the film progresses Norman is increasingly happy to indulge in excesses of violence. Along with the tank crew, they commit war crimes by shooting soldiers that have surrendered. They suggest that it’s better to let the enemy burn alive than to shoot them as it ends their suffering. They even seem to think that their job is the best.

If there was something that was particularly notable about this film to me, it was the tank combat action scene as the battalion heads for the crossroads. The contrast in capability between the American and German tanks was something alluded to in the beginning of the film, and the battle emphasized how important it was for the crew to move behind the enemy in order to strike a weak point. I also found the sight of shells bouncing off of the ground to be unexpected, and while I’m inclined to believe this given my cursory knowledge of ballistics, I’m wondering if that’s actually how it would have worked.

The film managed to retain my attention through the acting and action scenes, but I don’t think this film was really worth watching. It doesn’t really feel like the film has a strong theme or message that it’s trying to share and it’s not enjoyable to watch.