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Casualties of War

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Casualties of War (1989)

August. 18,1989
|
7.1
|
R
| Drama History War
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During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.

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Boobirt
1989/08/18

Stylish but barely mediocre overall

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HeadlinesExotic
1989/08/19

Boring

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Chirphymium
1989/08/20

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

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Calum Hutton
1989/08/21

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

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powermandan
1989/08/22

Casualties of War will probably go down as the most underrated war movie ever. Maybe it isn't as good as Saving Private Ryan or Full Metal Jacket, but Casualties of War really isn't far behind it. What makes this hated by some it its subject matter, but in some cases you have to look past what is happening and apply the general circumstances to other things that may happen in other places. Do this with Casualties of War, and you see exactly why it is so good.Michael J Fox abandons his comedic charm as Private Ericsson, a newcomer in the Vietnam War. Some people say that Fox was wrongfully cast and ones that did not see this were unsure of how he could pull off such a serious role. He may not be funny, but he is still like a little like he was in Family Ties. The role of Ericsson needed to be a young underdog, so casting Michael J Fox was good. As a newcomer to war, Ericsson quickly sees how scary battles can be. Luckily, his loyal platoon has his back 100%. The leader of the platoon is the insane Sgt. Meserve, played disturbingly well by Sean Penn. Most war movies focus on how war changes people for the worse, ultimately turning them into sadistic killing machines. Meserve and some other members of the platoon personify the different levels of this, ranging from scared to animalistic. Just as Ericsson begins to question why he is there, the platoon kidnap the most beautiful woman in a Vietnamese village and aspire to use her as their sex slave. Ericsson and Diaz (John Leguizamo) want no part of it, but Ericsson is the only one willing to stand up to his men. The rape is briefly shown, but all the implications and extreme fear in the girl makes the movie disturbing enough. Ericsson is bullied for his refusal and he eventually tries to help her escape. It eventually leads to her extremely brutal death that is heartbreaking. Ericsson is haunted by the events and is determined to prosecute the men that protected him but murdered her. Yes, the movie deals with a soldier trying to stop rape. I saw it as a young man who was faced with a dilemma to stay loyal to the men that protect him and his own country, yet preventing such barbaric acts. It is about a man who must go against the crowd for his own principles. The torn loyalty could be applied to many different real-life situations, not just war.

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harmonythecat
1989/08/23

Apocalypse Now Redux is a close second, but has a weak ending, in my opinion. Casualties of War is expertly directed by DePalma. Penn and Fox give intense performances. Casualties' grip on the viewer increases step by stop and scene by scene. Each scene ends with a dilemma that "hooks" the audience and demands continued viewing. Each scene begins with either a resolution of the previous scene's hook, or begins with an oblique answer that leads into a direction not anticipated by some viewers. Like DePalma's best films Casualties is primarily a thriller. One doesn't need any political viewpoint to enjoy this film. The film works well on more than one level of reality, which is always an artistic accomplishment.

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phd_travel
1989/08/24

Kudos to Brian de Palma for making this brave movie. There aren't many movies that show war crimes by U.S. soldiers. Most Vietnam war movies focus on the impact of the war on the U.S. soldiers. The effect on civilians in Vietnam is often too painful and unpopular to deal with. It is a movie that shows Vietnam as tragedy for everyone involved not just the combatants. The true story of the rape and murder of a Vietnamese farm girl and it's exposure by a soldier who refused to take part is shown in a straightforward and unflinchingly direct way. The rape and murder itself is beyond heartbreaking. Yet the story isn't one sided. It shows the perpetrators being in such a horrid situation that allowed something like this to happen. The movie shows the difficulties and consequences of being a whistle blower - how relevant today.Michael J Fox gives a very moving and sympathetic performance showing he is a fine dramatic actor. My initial misgivings of him as being mainly a comedic actor were quickly dispelled. Sean Penn gives a totally believable performance as the idiotic sergeant in charge. The Vietnamese actress Thuy Thu Le's performance is so good that it's almost too painful to watch.This movie isn't as famous as it should be and deserves a place among the most powerful and well acted war movies of all time.

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Avid Climber
1989/08/25

Casualties of War shows that war can be ugly for more than the obvious reasons. A great dramatic piece by Brian De Palma.The good. Excellent score. Once past the intro, powerful mood. Riveting story. Well built scenario, very logical and nicely paced. Emotionally disturbing.The actors. Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn are just perfect as antagonist. Don Harvey fits his crazy role very well. John C. Reilly plays the simpleton with convincing clarity. And I'll just mention in passing a good performance by Ving Rhames.The bad. The initial jungle scenes lack realism, as well as some over-acting by the black guy in the first part.The ugly. Nothing.The result. An emotional and brutal movie. Not for the faint of heart.

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