During the first fifteen minutes of FURY, you'll swear you are watching an amazingly bland romantic drama involving some average Joe. But as soon as Joe (Spencer Tracy) approaches the sleepy town of Strand, while driving to his own wedding, FURY takes a scary turn. Remember, this is the first Hollywood film directed by that German prince of dark cinema, Fritz Lang.
From 1919 to 1933, Lang's German films, such as DR. MABUSE, METROPOLIS, SPIES and M focused on the dark side of humanity, often showing vicious gangs or mobs at their worst. In FURY, a small town sheriff believes passing traveller Joe Wilson to be a wanted kidnapper. Following law and rational, the sheriff holds Joe until the District Attorney can determine his guilt or innocence. (The sheriff is played by Edward Ellis, who was Paul Muni's best prison pal in I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG)
Outside the prison, rumors spin out of control. The ordinary citizens believe the real kidnapper is jailed. A justice-hungry mob, led by the local bad-ass (Bruce Cabot) storm the jail, beat up the sheriff and dynamite the jail. We are only half-way through FURY, the second half involves a few hair-raising twists, and a real examination of how black-hearted even decent people can become.
Lang often mixed realism with distorted expressionism (Just take a look at his best film, M) The storming of the jail is often filmed in a documentary style, as if the camera peers at the chaos from some safe haven. He would mix in harshly lit close-ups of the thrill-crazed mob watching Joe burn in prison. While Joe is trapped behind bars, waiting to roast alive, he holds his frightened dog. (The dog is played by the same canine who played Toto in WIZARD OF OZ. Of course, this being a Fritz Lang film, the local witches aren't just talk, they really get Tracy and his little dog, too!)
From 1919 to 1933, Lang's German films, such as DR. MABUSE, METROPOLIS, SPIES and M focused on the dark side of humanity, often showing vicious gangs or mobs at their worst. In FURY, a small town sheriff believes passing traveller Joe Wilson to be a wanted kidnapper. Following law and rational, the sheriff holds Joe until the District Attorney can determine his guilt or innocence. (The sheriff is played by Edward Ellis, who was Paul Muni's best prison pal in I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG)
Outside the prison, rumors spin out of control. The ordinary citizens believe the real kidnapper is jailed. A justice-hungry mob, led by the local bad-ass (Bruce Cabot) storm the jail, beat up the sheriff and dynamite the jail. We are only half-way through FURY, the second half involves a few hair-raising twists, and a real examination of how black-hearted even decent people can become.
Lang often mixed realism with distorted expressionism (Just take a look at his best film, M) The storming of the jail is often filmed in a documentary style, as if the camera peers at the chaos from some safe haven. He would mix in harshly lit close-ups of the thrill-crazed mob watching Joe burn in prison. While Joe is trapped behind bars, waiting to roast alive, he holds his frightened dog. (The dog is played by the same canine who played Toto in WIZARD OF OZ. Of course, this being a Fritz Lang film, the local witches aren't just talk, they really get Tracy and his little dog, too!)