I dragged my wife (kicking and screaming - she hates "war movies") to see "FURY" last night. At the end, she agreed it was a gripping and powerful movie.
As a WWII buff, I was primarily interested in the weaponry and whether or not they got the details right. In general they did. One of the most often noticed things in other WWII movies was the fact that most M1 carbines did not have adjustable rear sights or bayonet lugs, yet carbines have often been portrayed with them. In FURY, all the carbines fit the standard WWII configuration, with no bayonet lugs. The M1 rifles of WWII had gas cylinders that lost the painted-on dark finish with wear, making them noticeably lighter than the barrel. This detail was also observed. The German weapons, notably the MP44/StG44 assault rifle, the panzerfausts and the K98ks, were spot on, as were the MP40s. The uniforms and equipment looked accurate as well.
I understand their technical adviser was a Brit Iraq War veteran - he did a great job.
I noticed only one procedural glitch, and it's almost a given in war movies. I heard one guy on the military radio saying "Over and out." It's either "over" or "out," not both, and any GI who has ever used a military radio learns that quickly.
I think this movie did a good job of showing the grit, pain, dirt, mud and fatigue of combat, as well perhaps as "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers." I also think it's important to portray these things accurately, if only to make the general populace aware of what these guys went through for their country.
I loved seeing the Shermans in the mud, and noticed their tactics against the superior German Tiger tanks were also accurate, particularly maneuvering around to hit those tanks in the rear where their armor was not as thick.
My stepfather-in-law fought as a captain in an armored unit under Patton and Abrams in WWII, and my next door neighbor when I was a kid was in a tank destroyer outfit in the battle of the Ardennes forest, escaping death by the skin of his teeth when his tank destroyer was held in reserve while two others went up and were obliterated by Tigers.
FURY captured a lot of (simulated) blood and gore on film, and the language was Patton-esque. This was warranted for realism. The final scenes were a bit Hollywood, but kept us riveted to our seats.
All in all, I'd give it an "A" rating. Enjoyable, realistic, and gutsy. I'd recommend it for anyone interested in how it really was for GIs in that fracas.
John
