The World War II action drama “Fury” that recently landed number one at the North American box-office at $23.5 million debut starring Academy Award Winner Brad Pitt is now showing nationwide in the Philippines.

               “Fury” puts together a winning cast along with Pitt, a squadron of fearless soldiers in a Sherman tank called Fury – Shia LaBeouf, Michael Pena, Jason Isaacs, Jon Bernthal and Logan Lerman.  The movie brings these American soldiers to German territory during the last days and bastion of World War II.   

                Rotten Tomatoes, worldwide online reference when it comes to movies reflects an 80% score among critics with an overall consensus that the movie is a well-acted, suitably raw depiction of the horrors of war that offers visceral battle scenes.

               The intensity of the screenplay that "Fury" director David Ayer wrote for Fury has become his hallmark, but the movie, like his screenplays for Training Day, The Fast and theFurious, and other films, also demonstrates a deep connection between the characters.  “David’s movies are visceral and real, but they’re also deeply about brotherly love and friendship in the most extreme circumstances,” says producer Bill Block.

               Details of the tankers’ memories come alive in Fury– for example, that every fifth bullet from the machine gun is a tracer; that there are so many tracers that the heat can melt the barrel; that the difference between outgoing and incoming artillery is the incoming’s telltale whistle; that the outgunned Sherman tanks could find ways to use their exceptional mobility against the Germans’ mighty Tiger tanks.  It’s these details that make the film feel true-to-life.

               “Veteran accounts are hugely important, because they bring it to life,” says David Rae, one of the military technical advisors on the film.  “They give you the actual ground truth of how a crew fought through different theaters – through Normandy, North Africa, through the low countries, and finally to Germany, that final push.  They give you interesting stories that you can grab hold of and emotionally attach yourself to.”

               There were five main tanks used for filming, all various models of the M4 Sherman tank: in the film, the tanks are nicknamed Fury, Matador, Lucy Sue, Old Phyllis, and Murder Inc.

               To populate the tank crews, Dowdall says, “We thought that the best thing would be to use trained tank crews – not collectors, but guys who’d been to Afghanistan and other combat situations recently.  They could not only command the tanks properly, but think on their feet if something went wrong with one of these seventy-year-old vehicles.”   For the Fury herself, there were three main vehicles used by the production.  First, naturally, was a real tank, supplied by the Bovington Tank Museum, a late-war Sherman with a 76mm gun.

               The tank – which was a rolling set that had to be dressed and maintained as a picture vehicle every day – also became a second home of sorts for the actors who portray its crew.  “When they had boot camp, they were taught to live outside;later, when Fury became available to them, we couldn’t really get them out of it,” says Tank Crew Supervisor Jim Dowdall.  “They put their own stamp on it.  They began to live and to eat inside it.  Between rehearsals, instead of getting off the tank, they just hunkered down inside and talked and lived like a tank crew would.  I think that shows in the movie – there’s a familiarity.”

               Jon Bernthal – like all of the actors – became very attached to the Fury.  “They say it ain’t the size of the dog in a fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.  She’s a badass tank,” he says, describing the tank.  “She’s not the biggest, not the strongest – you should see the Tiger! – but she’s all heart.”

               Adds Logan Lerman: “Seeing the tanks up and running, these seventy-year-old vehicles – it was a beautiful sight.”

               Over the course of the 24 fateful hours wherein the movie takes place, the actors' training will be tested as their roles as the five men of the Fury – Wardaddy (Pitt), the commander; Boyd Swan (LaBeouf), the gunner; Grady Travis (Bernthal), the loader; Trini Garcia (Pena), the driver; and Norman (Lerman), the assistant driver – take on 300 enemy German troops in a desperate battle for survival.

               "Fury" is now showing at a theater near you!

Landing at number 1 at the box-office, "Fury"  led the U.S. box-office(this weekend, October 17) with $23.5 million bow.  The latest World War II action drama with  a star power cast including Brad Pitt,  Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Jason Isaacs and Michael Pena is now the biggest hit of director David Ayer's career, acclaimed for his works in "End of Watch" and "Street Kings."

                   "Fury" brings back one of the forgotten time periods which is the last gasp of the Nazi empire, with an American army that has been fighting for years and is on its last reserves of manpower.  Brad Pitt is the leader of a 5-man crew named Don "Wardaddy" Collier. 

               Over the course of these 24 fateful hours, that training will be tested as the five men of the Fury – Wardaddy, the commander; Boyd Swan, the gunner; Grady Travis, the loader; Trini Garcia, the driver; and Norman, the assistant driver – take on 300 enemy German troops in a desperate battle for survival.

               "The men are exhausted.  In World War II, you fought until you either won or died, or were grievously injured and got sent home.  The fanatical regime is collapsing, it’s a confusing environment where anyone can be the enemy – it’s incredibly taxing on the fighting man’s soul,” director Ayer explains.

               Leading the men of the Fury is Don Collier – better known by his war name, Wardaddy.  The role is played by Brad Pitt.  “Wardaddy is representative of the backbone of the army – sergeants and NCOs really hold the army together,” Ayer says.  “He’s very no-nonsense, very practical and pragmatic – all he cares about is getting the mission done.”

               But Ayer says that Wardaddy is also a man with a hidden past.  “He’s atoning for his history, through this incredible act of penance of fighting in this war and liberating Europe.  He has his own moral code, but it’s not your civilian moral code; it’s very reflective of the time.  He’s very stoic, but with life and humor and love for his men and a true hatred for the enemy.”

               "Fury" opens October 22 in cinemas nationwide.

Set to storm the box-office at #1 spot, “Fury” has generated majority of nods from various outlets forecasting that the movie is poised to lead the box-office when it opens alongside other releases (opens October 17 - U.S. / October 22 – Phils.).

Starring an ensemble cast led by Brad Pit alongside Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Jason Isaacs and Jon Bernthal, “Fury” has opened to solid, positive reviews - with a high 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, with Screenrant picking “Fury” in their weekly predictions at number one and Fandango, the US’ largest online movie ticket company reports that “Fury” is leading the weekend in ticket sales, scoring 77 over 100 on the company’s movie buzz indicator.

Directed by David Ayer, known for his extreme thrilling screenplays (in the hit movies "Training Day," "The Fast and The Furious" and "S.W.A.T."), “Fury” is a visceral depiction of reality against the backdrop of World War II. “Fury” takes place in late-war Germany during April 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Pitt) commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. The whole movie takes place in 24 hours, from dawn one morning to dawn the next day, Outmanned and outgunned, they only won through true, raw fighting.

“The war’s almost over and this dying elephant – the Nazi empire – is on its last legs,” Ayer explains. “It’s a different world from your usual war movie, where we celebrate victorious campaigns like the invasion of the European continent, or D-Day, or the Battle of the Bulge, these famous battles that American troops have taken part in. One of the forgotten time periods is this last gasp of the Nazi empire, with an American army that has been fighting for years and is on its last reserves of manpower.

One way that the filmmakers were able to “get it right” was to enlist the aid of a number of veterans of the 2nd Armored Division who served during World War II, , including those who could provide first-hand accounts of what it was like to operate a tank in some of the bloodiest battles of the war. Details of the tankers’ memories come alive in Fury– for example, that every fifth bullet from the machine gun is a tracer; that there are so many tracers that the heat can melt the barrel; that the difference between outgoing and incoming artillery is the incoming’s telltale whistle; that the outgunned Sherman tanks could find ways to use their exceptional mobility against the Germans’ mighty Tiger tanks. It’s these details that make the film feel true-to-life.

“Veteran accounts are hugely important, because they bring it to life,” says David Rae, one of the military technical advisors on the film. “They give you the actual ground truth of how a crew fought through different theaters – through Normandy, North Africa, through the low countries, and finally to Germany, that final push. They give you interesting stories that you can grab hold of and emotionally attach yourself to.”

Distributed by Pioneer Films, “Fury” storms theatres nationwide this October 22 in the Philippines.

Outgunned and outnumbered, Brad Pitt leads a formidable cast in the latest non-stop action thriller “Fury” with his crew of soldiers including Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Peña, Jon Bernthal, Jason Isaacs, and Scott Eastwood on a deadly mission behind enemy lines during World War II.

Pioneer Films releases “Fury’s” poster and trailer where we see Pitt take on the role of a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy who commands a Sherman tank with his crew 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.

“Fury is not your grandfather’s war movie,” says producer Bill Block, “I don’t think we’ve seen the physical horror that the armored division went through. Outmanned and outgunned, they only won through true, raw fighting.”

“No one writes about men at their most vulnerable the way David does,” says producer John Lesher, who previously teamed with Ayer on his acclaimed film End of Watch. “In all of his films, I see some common themes: they are about brotherly love, friendship, fathers and sons, and some of these themes resonated quite heavily in this script.”

Fury takes place in late-war Germany, 1945. “The war’s almost over and this dying elephant – the Nazi empire – is on its last legs,” writer and director David Ayer explains. “It’s a different world from your usual war movie, where we celebrate victorious campaigns like the invasion of the European continent, or D-Day, or the Battle of the Bulge, these famous battles that American troops have taken part in. One of the forgotten time periods is this last gasp of the Nazi empire, with an American army that has been fighting for years and is on its last reserves of manpower. The men are exhausted. In World War II, you fought until you either won or died, or were grievously injured and got sent home. The fanatical regime is collapsing, it’s a confusing environment where anyone can be the enemy – it’s incredibly taxing on the fighting man’s soul.”

Catch “Fury” this October 22 in cinemas nationwide.

Columbia Pictures has just revealed the poster art for writer/director David Ayer's “Fury” starring Brad Pitt.

“Fury” is set at the very end of World War II, in April 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theater, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy (Pitt) commands a Sherman tank and her five-man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Outnumbered and outgunned, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany.

The film also stars Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman, Michael Pena, Jon Bernthal and Jason Isaacs.

Opening in Philippine theaters on November 14, 2014, “Fury” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.