"Ideals are peaceful. History is violent." FURY

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Last week, I went to see the movie Fury, and as much as I wanted to be disappointed, I was disappointed that I wasn't. When I go to see a war movie (which isn't that often), what I really want to see is a raw, gory, depiction of what war really is (i'm not a movie critic by any measure, but I do have expectations). No romanticization. Of all the things Hollywood misrepresents, I feel war movies are the one time they can get it right, and give people a chance to step into the place of the soldier, the people that protect their freedom. 

At the expense of not ruining the movie for you, I will tell you that there is a lot to look forward to. Fury offered the right concoction of wartime conflict:
Man vs. Man (war), Man vs. Self (emotions), and Man Vs. Society (the establishment of war). There is love, there is loss, there is passion, there is moral dilemma and there are things you will probably never be able to cleanse your mind of.  

Fury is set in Europe during WWII, and follows an all-veteran crew with the exception of newly drafted Norman Ellison and their M4A3E8 Sherman tank named Fury. I initially had doubts, but was thoroughly impressed David Ayer could make a two hour long movie just on tanks. 

When I think war movie, I think infantry, special forces or fighter pilots; basically, not tanks. However, I feel David Ayer saw potential and wasn't just gambling with the audience when he decided to write/direct this film. 

In my opinion, it's no surprise Fury has been a success:
- There aren't any recent tank movies....
- There are barely any tank movies, period. (for good reasons)
- WWII is a gold mine (movies about WWII)
- America The world loves Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf and Logan Lerman...

The thing with war is that it is not what it used to be and has been on the decline (in terms of causalities) for many years according to this Huffington Post article. World War II claimed 60 million lives, deeming it the most deadly human conflict in history (no wonder so many movies are about it). This transition is for the better, we should not take for granted that we will not know what it's like to be scared of the draft (unless it gets reinstated) and the fact that our encounters result in less casualties. As the years go on, I feel that we are losing our respect for those who did have to worry (those between the age of 18 and 25 between the years 1940 and 1973), and our respect for those who offer their services and for the protection of our countries (our friends and parents). It's difficult to understand what it's like, and as this void continues to be unfilled, memories of these wars will slip away into boring history books just like the rest of them. This disconnect inevitably drops civilan understanding of warfare, especially as we transition into new combat tactics. Weapons such as road-side bombs are advancing at a pace that makes it difficult for tanks remain practical. And as far as tank vs. tank combat is concerned... let's just say their role in combat is changing. This movie offers a glimpse into the life of something we just don't get to see everyday (or ever). 

You don't need to wait for another Brad Pitt movie to learn about WWII and killing Nazis (Inglorious Bastards), if you want a good history lesson, go talk to a local veteran while you still can. We shouldn't bank on just Hollywood to expand our understanding of this era and it's conflicts. 

To be honest, I couldn't for the life of me determine whether is was pro-war or anti-war. 
This movie will definitely sit in my heart among the ranks of Platoon and Saving Private Ryan. 

If you're the slightest bit interested in tanks you should look into the lengths that they went to make this film realistic. They went so far as to borrow the only working Tiger 131 tank in the world for the film.