All-Star Cast Brings World War II Event To Life

Courtesy of IMDB

By Delaney Benison

With the Second World War coming to a close, new troops are still being sent to Germany to combat Hitler’s last-ditch effort of Total War. Fury depicts five men in an outdated tank called “Fury” during World War II. This movie, while at some points gory and morally repugnant on all accounts, shows the brotherhood of war: the trauma and the vengeance that linked soldiers for life.

Brad Pitt takes on the role of Don “Wardaddy” Collier, sergeant and lead command of the “Fury.” Pitt plays an apathetic killer with flickers of humanity in a cold, war-hardened exterior. Throughout the movie “Wardaddy” takes on the challenge of adapting a young Norman Ellison, played by Logan Lerman, to the cruel reality of death in war and the consequences of a conscience.

Lerman, the youngest of all the cast members, had to work especially hard getting into character. Director David Ayer had all five starring actors boxing each other as a way of drawing out the aggression and intensity of war. In “The Metro,” Lerman was quoted as saying, “It was pretty casual at first, and then the guys came in and we really started fighting each other. And we really fought each other. It got intense in there.” Through this Lerman was able to find a balance of his naïve and sensitive nature along with an eventual unwavering commitment to the “Fury” and the men inside it. Shia LaBeouf also delivers a haunting performance as the religious gunner nicknamed “Bible.” Lebouf’s role offers comic relief while also delivering some of the most unsettling lines of the movie.

Ayer shows his ability to portray the gruesome glory of war. He also reveals the effects and abuse that war lays on every country involved, making for a conflicting and uncommon reaction to World War II.  We are left with a feeling of appreciation for the human life and the sacrifices that were made for the sake of freedom.