Posted on 11/03/2014 9:53:07 AM PST by w1n1
Fury: The Mother of all Tank Movies starring Brad Pitt, no I'm not a fan of his, but did enjoyed the movie. The authenticity of the tanks was the real thing, Sherman's and the German Tiger I.
Pitt's character is a bit reminiscent of the role he played as a soldier in Inglorious Basterds, which also took place during WWII. He takes his five-man crew behind enemy lines, where they are outnumbered and outgunned.
FURY is the first war film to feature a real life German Tiger I tank which actually came out of a museum collection. Tigers were the most feared German tanks in World War II. The 75mm and 76mm guns on American Sherman tanks could only penetrate the Tiger's frontal armor at point-blank range.
If you were an American tanker in World War II, the Tiger was terror on tracks. When our tank crews defeated them in battle, it was usually by attacking with superior numbers and outmaneuvering them to get a shot at the Tiger's thinner armor on the sides and rear of the vehicle.
In order for an American tank to get around the side or rear, other tanks had to keep the Tiger's attention. The attention of an 88mm gun is not the kind you want. In short, somebody was very likely to get killed.
It was fortunate for the Allies that the Germans never had many Tigers, because American tank crews faced enough dangers fighting their more common adversaries. Because the Sherman sacrificed armor for speed, it was more vulnerable to penetrating hits.
Though the Sherman was respected by the Germans, it got nick-named "Ronson" by its crews because of its tendency to burn when hit. This problem was largely corrected with the later models by stowing the ammunition in lockers surrounded by liquid. By 1945, most of the old Sherman's had been replaced by improved models, of which FURY, Brad Pitt's tank, is one.
Fury also features the world’s only operable German Tiger I. A thickly armored, heavy tank mounted with an 88mm cannon, Tigers were superior to Shermans, but their low numbers and high production cost made them no match in the end to Allied armor on the march.
This is an excerpt from the original article posted here and written by Frank Jardim.
Actually Inglorious Basterds was kinda funny in a way. That SS colonel was a hoot. He also played the circus owner in Water For Elephants.
were the Tiger I’s slow?
Without spoiling anything, I think, it would be safe to say that the weapons / uniforms / period history all were done pretty well. I enjoyed watching that.
The characters, however, were the usual....what Hollywood *thinks* that vets should be like, rather than what they really *are* like.
It's just a story, though, and I suppose that I should make like Francis and lighten up. :-)
Their biggest problem is that there weren’t enough of them and by the end the Germans were running out of petrol for their vehicles (including tanks).
I have to say I really enjoyed this movie... very well done. For a war movie by hollyweird.. thats unusal.
Yes, their speed was greatly compromised by their weight ( I think they weighed 56 tons). And they were hell on gasoline consumption, too.
It was tank porn. Not much more and certainly not less. A battalion of SS with two cases of Panzerfausts against a disabled Sherman sitting in the open? Please.
With you on that. I could have done without some of the character building scenes, but all in all, a decent movie. Will prob re-watch when it comes out on DVD.
I even liked the idiot Shia...
From Mike Vanderboegh:
http://sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com/2014/10/movie-review-fury.html?_sm_au_=iVV81ZP2qfkSSHjM
As an ex-tanker, I was laughing out loud at the battle scenes. Tanks are _very_ vulnerable to dismounted infantry - not so in this movie.
And I agree on 'Thin Red Line', that was absolute crap.
Haven't seen 'Fury' yet, but 'Inglourious Basterds' is what made me like Brad Pitt. Bon-jor-no...
Loved it. Loved the character development, point of view and the battle scenes were intense. Won’t give away more than that for those who haven’t seen it.
As a woman, I thought the character development was the best part. i don’t know who the intended audience was, but it worked for me.
I liked The Hebrew Hammer. Directed by Jonathan Kesselman. With Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer, Andy Dick, Mario Van Peebles. Mordechai Jefferson Carver, aka the Hebrew Hammer, is an orthodox Jewish stud who goes on a mission to save Hanukkah. When Santa Claus’s evil son Damian is pushed over the edge by his father’s liberal ...http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317640/
Enjoyed it. A movie about bravery, even though some of it may not be accurate.
I haven’t seen the movie. I like the photo of them breaking track. The track never comes off on a nice, wide road like that. It always goes to crap when you’re trying to sneak up a draw. Then, you get to break track when the tank wants to roll downhill.
I love tanks. Being in the Tank Commander hatch when you’re going cross country is one of the best things in life. But, tanks are built to kill people and they will kill the crew if you give them the chance.
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