FURY

3.5 stars (out of 5)

This brutally violent war saga from writer/producer/director David (End Of Watch) Ayer isn’t strictly revisionist (like Inglourious Basterds), all action (like The Dirty Dozen) or a reverent study of heroism in the mold of a John Wayne epic, but instead, a sometimes uneasy combination of all three. Nevertheless, the blokey cast gives it heart and shell-shocked humour.

It’s April 1945, the Allies are pushing further into Germany and we meet Sergeant Don ‘Wardaddy’ Collier (Brad Pitt), the commander of a Sherman tank (christened ‘Fury’) who’s been hardened by battle and won the respect of his men, namely Boyd ‘Bible’ Swan (Shia LaBeouf), Trini ‘Gordo’ Garcia (End Of Watch’s Michael Peña) and Grady ‘Coon-Ass’ Travis (The Walking Dead’s Jon Bernthal). When they’re assigned Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman) to replace their most recent casualty, and they discover that he’s just a kid and a goddamn typist, the guys give him a seriously hard time as they journey further into enemy territory. But all their macho bullshit and foul-mouthed intimidation tactics are worth it, as Norman toughens the Hell up, which is a good thing as soon they’re fighting for their lives over and over, and (no spoilers necessary, as it’s in the trailer) breaking down as 300 SS soldiers approach.

Full of grisly detail more graphic than even Saving Private Ryan, Ayer’s film is intense and visceral, and features fine work from the players, with Pitt a standout as a virtuous man who’s not-so-secretly terrified and particularly impressive work from Bernthal (although his Travis is such a drooling meathead it’s easy to hate him). And the final, furious act demonstrates, yet again, just in case you’d somehow forgotten of late, that war is HELL.