‘Fury’ attempts to be different, but falls back on clichés

Nov. 14, 2014 | G. Michael Dobbs
news@thereminder.com

Brad Pitt stars in “Fury,” now in theaters.
Reminder Publications submitted photo

    This week, a new movie in theaters in time for Veterans’ Day and a French comedy that was both funny and charming.

In theaters: Fury

I was raised by a 26-year veteran of the Air Force who may have been mystified by my interest in movies, but who seldom questioned what I was watching with one exception: war movies.

My dad’s feeling – after seeing combat in WWII and Korea as well as a tour of duty in Vietnam – is that war movies tend to glorify combat.

So, I never saw many war films growing up. I watched a number as an adult and there have been some films that handle the subject in a way that attempts to portray the insanity of conflict, the bonds that are made between people and the toll of serving your country.

 I was looking forward to “Fury,” it appeared to be a film that would avoid the clichés that dominate the genre. While “Fury” tries to break new ground in depicting the emotional damage inflicted by combat, it ultimately falls back on some of the oldest war movie devices.

Brad Pitt is Collier, the sergeant in charge of a tank unit. He has promised his men he would keep them alive and he has kept that promise from North African to Germany, but now in the final days of the war one of his men has been killed. Now he has been given a replacement – a green as grass kid trained not as a tank crewmember, but as a typist.

The film follows how Collier attempts to break his new crewmember into the ways of the war. The kid, Norman, played by Logan Lerman is at first traumatized by what his happening and then becomes a member of the unit.

The rest of his tank mates have been hardened by the war and have a difficult time understanding his feelings. They clearly enjoy inflicting pain on supposedly one of their own.

While there are some sequences that work well in the film – such as the final battle scene – my issue is that director and writer David Ayer apparently wanted to do a film with some insight, but seems more comfortable with shock. The film is gory and emotionally brutal, but this approach doesn’t seem to connect with the goal of understanding the main characters any better.

This is not a film for the faint of heart.

The result is a movie that doesn’t give audiences any understanding of the characters, many of whom are actually unsympathetic for most of the movie.

I wanted to like this film. Instead the best I can say is that I admired certain scenes.

On DVD: Le Chef

This French comedy may have a similar title to “Chef,” but the two films are far apart from one another.

“Chef” is a drama about redemption with comedic moments. “Le Chef” is a straight-out comedy about food and obsession.

Jean Reno plays Alexandre, an icon in modern French cooking with a string of cookbooks and a TV show. The man who owns the restaurant where he works believes his cooking is out of date.

Michael Youn is Jacky, a fan who has memorized Alexandre’s recipes and career and who is a considerable chef in his own right. His obsession, though, has created a bit of monster though; a cook who can’t compromise and has trouble holding a job.

Alexandre discovers Jacky by accident and instantly both men realize they need each other: Jacky wants to work with his idol and Alexandre needs the infusion of enthusiasm that Jacky brings.

Although a bit silly at times the film has a good heart and some decent laughs. It isn’t a comedy that will live through the ages, but it is a more than pleasant way to spend 90 minutes.   

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