Fury

I saw the movie Fury a couple of weeks ago. Like any movie it had its strong and weak points but overall it did a superb job portraying the human element of war especially as it pertains to those involved in close combat and the hardening of attitudes among those who have seen and experienced too much for too long and still have more of a meat-grinding job ahead of them before their war is finished. If you saw and liked Das Boot (the 1981 movie about a WWII German submarine crew), you will be captivated by Fury in its portrayal of the claustrophobic intensity of tank-on-tank engagements. The special effects were superb, bringing the viewer into the gripping lethality of a battlefield. It isn't a pleasant movie to watch. Language is very rough but certainly what one hears among troops in the field and the movie is quite explicit in showing the casualties of battle but doesn’t dwell too long on any particular incident. It is much more intimate in focus than Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan and more condensed, obviously, than the HBO-series Band of Brothers. It’s a Hollywood movie so there are almost by default implausible aspects to it but all-in-all I thought its intensity, gritty reality, and personal story lines made it worth watching. If you've an interest in seeing what close-combat in conventional war is like, Fury is a good place to start. Just don't invite your little ones to the show.