Fury

From it's staggering opening shot of a German soldier riding a beautiful white horse (and his extreme fate) to its uncompromising ending, "Fury" is one of the most gripping combat film experiences in over a decade, and is just as effective on Blu-ray as it was in a theater. The movie blends patriotic old-school Hollywood with the grueling intensity of the more honest and penetrating war films of the '70s and '80s as well as giving a nod to George Lucas's "Star Wars."

Nothing David Ayer has directed prepares you for how well he handles every frame of this extraordinary film, which is set in April of 1945 as the Allies make their final thrusts into Germany while Nazi soldiers are ordered to resist in the most fanatical ways, conscripting women and children into the fight. "Fury" is about one crew who man a Sherman tank into enemy lines on a rescue mission, what they encounter and what they must do to survive.

Brad Pitt excels as the tough-ass sergeant while Logan Lerman ("The Perks of Being a Wallflower") proves a revelation as the young, naive clerk typist who is recruited to slaughter, without any warning or training.

"Fury" delves into why it's vital for these soldiers to hate the enemy at all costs. Any doubt could mean instant death. The film investigates why insanity must sometimes replace humanity (not to the "Apocalypse Now" extreme). "Ideals are peaceful, history is violent," Pitt tells Lerman. In addition, the importance of camaraderie among these men becomes imperative and there's an intriguing, if subtle, homoeroticism at play in the relationship between Pitt and the bible-thumping character played by Shia LeBeouf.

Why "Fury" wasn't recognized by the Academy in any of the technical categories is beyond me since it boasts top-of-the-line camerawork, production and sound design as well as expert editing. And Lerman should have received awards attention as well.

The Blu-ray video transfer is stunning with vibrant, albeit bleak, colors popping. The sound quality is good, although some dialogue remains unintelligible (especially Jon Bernthal's overdone yahoo accent). Luckily that's where subtitles come in handy.

There are host of goodies on this disc including 56-minutes of deleted scenes including fascinating alternate takes and extended sequences that show just how deft editing can refine and hone movie moments and make them more potent.

Four excellent featurettes compliment the film and educate on how Ayer's shot inside a tank as well as his process using actual war footage as his template vs. the usual '40s Hollywood pictures. And some real vets share their observations in "Armored Warriors."

There is an amazing sequence in the middle of the film where Pitt and Lerman find two German girls hiding in an apartment in the town the Allies have captured. Lerman takes a liking to the younger girl and the crush is returned so the two connect. The rest of the tank crew storm in and the scene becomes quite uncomfortable and pregnant with frightening possibilities. This episode perfectly captures the lunacy and obscenity of war laced with poignant and meaningful moments that usually end in devastation.

"Fury"
Blu-ray & Digital HD
$19.96
http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/fury/