The cinema doesn't exactly want for Second World War dramas, but nonetheless, I'm increasingly looking forward to “Fury.” David Ayer's tough brand of crime storytelling has worked better in some projects than others — “Sabotage” wasn't quite the follow-up to “End of Watch” most of us were hoping for — but he's a distinctive stylist, and I'm interested to see how his street sensibility adapts to a period piece.
Here's hoping it's also a meaty dramatic opportunity for Brad Pitt, who plays a US Army sergeant leading a tank team behind enemy lines in the closing months of the war. (One thing that hasn't been under wraps is his period-appropriate haircut — which, handily enough, would also see him blend in among the hipsters of Williamsburg or Dalston. But I digress). He looks suitably brooding on the first teaser poster for the film, a handsomely understated effort that hopefully portends similar restraint from the film itself.
“Fury,” which also stars Shia LaBeouf and Logan Lerman, opens in the U.S. on the eminently awards-friendly date of November 14 — three weeks after it hits theaters in the UK and other European territories. A fall festival bow seems likely.