Genre Research: Fury

According to Rotten Tomatoes, "April, 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany." Throughout the movie various camera angles and movements are utilized to create an action packed movie. For example, various two-three shots are used to create a sense of amount of Ally tanks that are needed in order to destroy one Axis tank. As another example, many many medium-long shots are used to demonstrate the devastation of war. Dead bodies with severe injuries can be seen throughout the movie. Another important aspect of the movie is the mis-en-scene, such as the costumes, lighting, actors, makeup, props, and settings. The costumes in the movie are worn down, army issued attire. This is to signify the main characters experience with war and the ongoing conflict they face. The lightning in the movie can be murky at times while at other times smokey to demonstrate the destruction war can bring. The makeup is meant to resemble uncleanliness and dirt as these men have been in conflict for a long time. Also, the actors are meant to represent soldiers that are being sent to Europe to fight the Nazis. As such, the actors range in age and health, some older and stronger (likely in the military for sometime) while others are young and thin (likely drafted during this time period). Finally the props and settings are meant to resemble a World War 2 battlefield. The setting is typically wilderness, obliterated by fire and artillery fire, and the main characters use props such as machine guns, pistols, knifes, tanks, and grenades. Furthermore, another important aspect of this film and thriller genre is the sound used. This movie makes use of loud sound effects such as artillery fire or troops marching. The dialogue also contributes to the plot development of the story by revealing the experiences/moral of the soldiers fighting in their conflict. Finally, the editing contributes to the action packed scenes throughout the movie. For instance, a shot-reverse-shot is used during a tank stand off in which 3 allied tanks fight a German tank. In the end, the German tank is defeated, but not without heavy losses of 2 other tanks.

In summary, the movie "Fury," follows the conventions and codes of the thriller genre. The movie makes use of action packed scenes, a dynamic points of view, a stronger antagonist compared to the protagonists, and loud sound effects (ex. artillery fire). These elements all help to contribute to the movies fast pace and action packed plot. This fast pace combined with the action packed scenes keep audiences interested and wanting more. Fury makes use of many elements of thrillers that I love such as the suspenseful plot structure, loud sound effects, and visceral battle scenes. However, there are some elements of the movie that I do not like. Some additions to the mis-en-scene could have been added to make the movie more historically correct, and additional editing would have made the movie more suspenseful. Overall, Fury was an action packed thrill movie that will contribute significantly to me producing my Final Task. I recommend Fury to any war movie lover.