While I have no reservations about the performances of SPENCER TRACY and SYLVIA SIDNEY in Fritz Lang's FURY, I did find it hard to believe the sudden rush to judgment on the part of the townspeople who wanted vigilante justice on virtually no real evidence, urged on by people like BRUCE CABOT.
That seemed to be a weakness stemming from Norman Krasna's original story--and director Lang does not overcome that fault. The casting of the nasty small-town troublemakers who want blood is not realistic enough to suggest that these people would have stooped to such violent behavior on the face of almost no evidence at all. I simply couldn't buy this aspect of the story because of the way it was presented.
But if you can get beyond that fact, the story is a compelling one, especially after the jail is torched and everyone believes Tracy perished in the fire. The plot takes a few unusual twists which culminate in a final courtroom scene that will keep you glued to the screen until the finish.
WALTER ABEL indulges in histrionics as the District Attorney building his case against the townspeople but then so do some attorneys in real life. But it's one of Spencer Tracy's finest performances, running swiftly through a gamut of emotions, one of his strongest roles and he takes full advantage of it. Likewise, Sylvia Sidney plays her role with great restraint and heartfelt sincerity.
Unusual for a film coming from the glossy MGM studio. As someone else suggested, perhaps the results would have been more convincing if the film had been made at Warner Brothers where they specialized in gritty stories of social significance. Still, it's definitely a gripping story and well worth watching.
That seemed to be a weakness stemming from Norman Krasna's original story--and director Lang does not overcome that fault. The casting of the nasty small-town troublemakers who want blood is not realistic enough to suggest that these people would have stooped to such violent behavior on the face of almost no evidence at all. I simply couldn't buy this aspect of the story because of the way it was presented.
But if you can get beyond that fact, the story is a compelling one, especially after the jail is torched and everyone believes Tracy perished in the fire. The plot takes a few unusual twists which culminate in a final courtroom scene that will keep you glued to the screen until the finish.
WALTER ABEL indulges in histrionics as the District Attorney building his case against the townspeople but then so do some attorneys in real life. But it's one of Spencer Tracy's finest performances, running swiftly through a gamut of emotions, one of his strongest roles and he takes full advantage of it. Likewise, Sylvia Sidney plays her role with great restraint and heartfelt sincerity.
Unusual for a film coming from the glossy MGM studio. As someone else suggested, perhaps the results would have been more convincing if the film had been made at Warner Brothers where they specialized in gritty stories of social significance. Still, it's definitely a gripping story and well worth watching.