“Fury” is a 2014 war film lauded for its visceral depiction of tank warfare in World War II. While critically acclaimed for its realism and performances, the movie is also notably intense and graphic in its portrayal of combat. This guide serves as a detailed breakdown for parents and viewers concerned about the level of violence and gore depicted in “Fury,” helping you make informed decisions about whether this film is appropriate.
Detailed Breakdown of Violence in Fury
“Fury” does not shy away from the brutal realities of war. The film is replete with extended sequences of graphic violence, primarily focused on the visceral and often chaotic nature of tank battles and close-quarters combat.
Intense and Prolonged Tank Warfare
The film features multiple extended battle sequences involving tanks. These are not sanitized action scenes; instead, they emphasize the destructive power of tank weaponry and the vulnerability of soldiers caught in the crossfire.
- Opening Ambush: An early scene establishes the film’s violent tone immediately. Five soldiers in a tank are ambushed. In a disturbing tactic, they place a dead soldier on their tank and set the body ablaze to lure enemy soldiers. This sets the stage for a prolonged firefight.
- Graphic Gunfights: When enemy soldiers arrive, a lengthy and bloody gun battle erupts. Numerous soldiers are shot down, with visible blood spray and splattering. One soldier is even shown engulfed in flames, running in agony before presumably succumbing to his injuries.
- Tank Shell Devastation: The tank itself becomes a weapon of mass destruction. When the tank fires, the impact is graphically depicted with blood splattering against the interior and exterior. Bodies are shown being blown apart, and heads are decapitated by tank fire, accompanied by showers of blood, illustrating the horrific consequences of the weaponry.
- Close Quarters Combat: Violence is not limited to tank weaponry. A soldier attempting to enter the tank is stabbed in the neck and violently pushed back out.
- Grenade Explosion: In a particularly gruesome scene, a grenade is thrown into the tank. One soldier, in a desperate act, holds the grenade to his abdomen as it explodes. While the immediate aftermath is not fully shown, blood sprays, implying severe and fatal injuries.
- Facial Disfiguration: The aftermath of tank combat is also visually disturbing. One soldier inside a tank is shown with half of his ear missing and multiple bloody gashes across his face, highlighting the disfiguring potential of war injuries.
Flames and Self-Immolation
Fire is used as a weapon and a consequence of war throughout “Fury,” leading to scenes of intense and disturbing imagery.
- Burning Soldier: During a tank ambush, one tank is struck and catches fire. A soldier inside jumps out engulfed in flames, screaming in agony. In a desperate attempt to end his suffering, he shoots himself in the head with a handgun. This scene combines the horror of being burned alive with the graphic depiction of suicide.
Landmines and Tank Casualties
The dangers of landmines and the vulnerability of tanks are showcased with graphic results.
- Landmine Explosion: A tank runs over a landmine, which explodes violently and destroys the tank treads. While the immediate impact on the crew is not visually detailed in this instance, the implication of potential injury or death is clear.
Executions and Summary Killings
“Fury” portrays moments of brutal executions and summary killings, underscoring the dehumanizing aspects of war.
- Street Execution: During street fighting, a tank fires on a building where enemy soldiers are hiding. Screams are heard, and men emerge with burning clothes and skin. They are then shot dead by soldiers.
- Surrender and Betrayal: A man waving a white flag attempts to surrender, followed by young boys and girls in uniform, and an officer. Despite the apparent surrender, the officer is shot repeatedly in the chest and killed, showcasing a brutal disregard for surrender and the tragic involvement of child soldiers.
- Post-Battle Mutilation: Soldiers are shown walking through a battlefield and shooting into the bodies of fallen soldiers on the ground to ensure they are dead, a grim depiction of the desensitization to violence in war.
- Forced Execution: An enemy prisoner is brought before a sergeant who orders a young, reluctant soldier to execute him. The sergeant forces the young soldier to shoot the prisoner in the back, with blood spray clearly visible. This scene is disturbing not only for the execution itself but also for the psychological trauma inflicted on the young soldier.
- Civilian Execution: A civilian is shot in the head with graphic blood spray, and two soldiers nearby are also shot in the back, further emphasizing the indiscriminate nature of violence in war.
Graphic Injuries and Corpses
The film presents a stark and unflinching view of war injuries and death, often in graphic detail.
- Severed Limb: A soldier is shot in the leg, and the leg is explicitly shown as severed, with blood and matter spraying, highlighting the devastating physical trauma of combat.
- Charred Remains: After an attack, a dead soldier is seen inside a tank with his face bloody and charred, illustrating the horrific effects of explosions and fire on the human body.
- Mass Graves and Body Disposal: The aftermath of battle is depicted with disturbing imagery, including piles of dead, blood-covered bodies being shoved into mass graves by vehicles and seen in the back of trucks, emphasizing the scale of death in war.
- Bloody Medic Tent: Scenes in a medic tent show wounded soldiers with bloody cuts and scrapes. A woman is shown dumping a basin full of blood onto the ground, visually representing the volume of bloodshed.
- Bloody Tank Interior: A soldier cleans the interior of a tank where a man was killed, removing blood splattered photographs and finding pieces of flesh, underscoring the intimate and gruesome reality of death within the confined space of a tank.
- Self-Inflicted Wounds: Dead men and a dead woman are shown inside a building with bloody gunshot wounds to the head, presumed to be self-inflicted, hinting at the desperation and horrors faced by civilians in wartime.
- Stabbed Eye: In a brutal close-combat scene, a man on horseback is stabbed in the eye with significant blood shown, a particularly graphic and shocking moment of violence.
Psychological and Emotional Violence
While physical violence is paramount, “Fury” also touches on psychological and emotional aspects of war, though these are less explicitly explored.
- Threat of Sexual Violence: A tense scene involves a soldier pushing his way into an apartment where women are hiding. There’s a clear threat of sexual violence implied when a soldier is told to take a young woman into a bedroom, though the film cuts away before anything explicit occurs (further details are in the Sex/Nudity category of longer reviews).
- Terror and Panic: A soldier is shown terrified when he sees a large number of enemy SS soldiers, highlighting the constant fear and psychological pressure of combat.
- Aggression and Degradation: Soldiers are shown acting aggressively and making crude remarks, including licking food off a woman’s plate and making implied threats of sexual assault, showcasing the breakdown of social norms and increased aggression in wartime.
- Desensitization and Brutality: Casual discussions about killing horses and brutal statements like “I wanna stand knee deep in their guts” reveal a desensitization to violence and a descent into brutality that war can engender.
Gore Level
“Fury” exhibits a high level of gore. Blood spray and splatter are frequent and often depicted in detail. Open wounds, including gunshot wounds, stab wounds, and burns, are shown graphically. The aftermath of violence, including corpses, body parts, and pools of blood, is also presented without sanitization. Viewers sensitive to graphic imagery should be highly cautious.
Is “Fury” Suitable for Teens or Children? – A Parents Guide Conclusion
“Fury” is a powerfully made war film that aims for realism in its depiction of combat. However, this realism comes at the cost of intense and pervasive violence and gore. The film contains numerous scenes that are graphic, disturbing, and potentially traumatizing, especially for younger or sensitive viewers.
Due to the extreme violence, gore, and disturbing content, “Fury” is unequivocally NOT suitable for children. For teenagers, particularly younger teens, parental discretion is strongly advised. Parents should consider their child’s maturity level, sensitivity to violence, and prior exposure to war-related media. Even for mature teenagers, the film’s intensity and graphic nature may be overwhelming.
This “Fury” parents guide aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the film’s violent content, enabling you to make an informed decision about viewing. It is crucial to consider the graphic and disturbing nature of “Fury” before deciding if it is appropriate for you or your family.
