Though it is called The Samaritan on IMDb, the film has now been renamed Fury prior to the release of another Samuel L. Jackson starring film: Marvel’s Avengers Assemble. It is true that film titles are changed all the time but we will ignore the obviously cynical move in renaming this particular film, where the word or the possible surname ‘Fury’ is never mentioned. Either way, Fury is about Foley (Jackson) a conman or grifter who was the best in the business until his partner got too greedy and as a result, Foley ends up doing 25 years in prison.
The day he is finally released, the calm older Foley finds Ethan (Luke Kirby) waiting for him in his home offering him a role in a new grift. On the same night, Ethan sends over a young woman, Iris (Ruth Negga), as a welcome home gift which Foley refuses along with Ethan’s proposed grift. However, in this film, which models itself as a film noir, Foley’s past is not easy to shake and Ethan gains a hold over Foley through his new relationship with the much younger and damaged Iris.
Along with the title change, one can’t help but notice that there are at least 10 producers and executive producers who worked on Fury. As the saying goes ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’ and this seems to have been the case with Fury. There is nothing new or particularly memorable about the well-used plot even with all the actors doing their best, particularly Ruth Negga, Jackson and a criminally underused Tom Wilkinson. There is little in the film that remains unpredictable apart from the fact that Jackson, playing an older conman, actually looks his age (for once).
Though Fury does, at times, fulfill its film noir aspirations in its use of low lighting and locations, there isn’t the depth of dialogue to sustain the required tension, with some scenes feeling like they are mere rehearsals and not the finished product. One character is played by an actress with (allegedly) so much botox in her face that she is reduced to emoting via her lower lip alone. This is swiftly to DVD fair. It has been likened to being Tarantino-esque when it is anything but.
It’s a pity that Samuel L. Jackson is not given a better film to showcase his ability to portray more vulnerable characters; this film is not the appropriate vehicle for his well established talents.
Mairead has awarded Fury one Torch of Truth.
