Brad Pitt’s Fury Deserves More Attention Than Inglourious Basterds

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Despite being a financial success – earning over $321 million from a $70 million budget and receiving mostly good reviews – Inglourious Basterds doesn’t accurately portray historical events. As an alternate-history film about killing Nazi leaders in France during World War II, it prioritizes storytelling over strict historical accuracy.

It’s no surprise that Quentin Tarantino’s famous war movie often gets more attention than others. However, Fury is a powerful and realistic film about the experiences of an American tank crew in World War II that shouldn’t be overlooked. While Fury isn’t as large in scope or expensive to make as Tarantino’s film, it’s more accurate and thought-provoking, and arguably the best war movie Brad Pitt has ever been in.

Fury is a Realistic World War II Epic

Set in April 1945, as World War II nears its end, Fury follows Sergeant Don “Wardaddy” Collier (Brad Pitt) and his tank crew. Their dangerous mission takes them deep into Nazi territory. Facing overwhelming odds and hampered by a new, untrained soldier, Wardaddy and his men fight for survival as they advance towards the center of Germany.

Depictions of war, both during the fighting and in the years since, have often been incomplete. This is due to factors like limited funding, societal views, technical limitations, and a tendency to tell overly romanticized stories. Saving Private Ryan stood out as one of the first films to realistically show the brutality of war, and some veterans even reported experiencing symptoms of PTSD while watching it.

Though not as widely celebrated, Fury delves into the brutal realities of war much like other acclaimed films. The tank crew, led by Wardaddy, faces grim tasks – including cleaning up after the previous crew – and difficult moral choices, such as confronting members of the Hitler Youth and witnessing the deaths of innocent civilians. New recruit Norman (Logan Lerman) experiences these horrors alongside them.

The film honestly shows that war treats soldiers as replaceable. As the team continues their dangerous missions, it becomes clear that each member is considered expendable in the larger conflict.

Throughout the action, the characters also have conversations that show their weaknesses and imperfections. Even the tough commander, Wardaddy, is depicted as ruthless, pushing a new soldier to execute a helpless enemy without thinking twice.

Ayer’s film Fury is based on stories from his family’s military veterans. He also researched extensively, consulting books like Belton Y. Cooper’s Death Traps, which vividly describes the heavy losses suffered by American tank crews fighting against the better-equipped German army.

Many veterans and historians have noted a technical inaccuracy in films: artillery shells, tank rounds, and bullets are often shown with tracer effects, which isn’t realistic.

This approach offers two benefits. First, it clearly shows viewers who is shooting at whom. Second, it simplifies understanding how bullets and other projectiles behave when they hit the ground or bounce off objects.

The scene where Fury battles a German Tiger I tank was criticized for not being realistic. Bill Betts, a British tank radio operator who fought in Germany during the war, explained to The Guardian that soldiers usually avoided fighting German tanks late in the war because they had much stronger armor and more powerful guns.

Despite a few expected technical adjustments, Fury realistically portrays the realities of war. Director David Ayer’s film focuses on honoring and respecting the soldiers who fought, perhaps more than many other war movies.

Fury Deserves More Attention than Inglourious Basterds

Brad Pitt has appeared in seven war films so far, including Inglourious Basterds, Allied, and War Machine. Of those movies, one stands out as the most successful with critics, audiences, and in terms of box office revenue.

Inglourious Basterds is a fantastic movie with a great cast, stunning visuals, and a truly original story, which explains its high ratings – 89% on Rotten Tomatoes and 8.4/10 on IMDb. Ultimately, though, the film is primarily about providing pure entertainment.

The movie doesn’t accurately reflect what happened during World War II. Many historians, including James Holland in a 2023 interview with Penguin Books UK, consider Inglourious Basterds to be one of the most historically inaccurate war films ever made.

The movie’s Nazis feel like over-the-top caricatures – think leather jackets and exaggerated accents – a far cry from the more practical and effective real German soldiers. The way weapons are used isn’t realistic either; hitting a target with a pistol from a hundred yards would be nearly impossible. Furthermore, Western intelligence gathering focused on using local contacts and established authorities, rather than resorting to violence.

Okay, so Inglourious Basterds is often called a war movie, but honestly, it doesn’t feel like one to me. It’s totally captivating, and Brad Pitt is fantastic in those action scenes, but if I’m looking for a truly authentic war film, Fury is the one that really gets it right.

David Ayer’s film was a major hit, earning over $211 million despite costing only $68 million to make. It’s a thrilling ride packed with action, but it doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of the situation. The film keeps things grounded in truth, creating a feeling of intense isolation and panic for the viewer, putting them directly into the experience of the characters with little relief.

The film gives Brad Pitt a chance to truly shine, portraying Wardaddy as a character who is both imperfect and deeply human. The supporting cast, including Shia LaBeouf, delivers equally strong performances, making the experiences of their characters – and the real soldiers they represent – incredibly memorable.

While Brad Pitt has starred in many memorable films, Fury often gets overlooked. It’s frequently ranked below Inglourious Basterds among his war movies, and generally lower on lists of his best work. This is largely due to its intense violence, which some viewers find disturbing. However, Fury deserves more recognition for its realistic portrayal of war, historical accuracy, and strong performances from the cast.

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2026-01-24 21:12