| STOP-LOSS |
 2008 - USADirector: Kimberly Peirce
- Reviewed by Linda
Ryan Phillippe, who has suddenly found himself oddly typecast is an everyman soldier (see his similar role in the WWII drama Flags of Our Fathers) plays Brandon King, a sergeant in the U.S. Army in Iraq, who, in the opening sequence leads his team of soldiers unwittingly into an urban ambush. A couple men are killed, and one severely injured, and of course this happens just as their tour is coming to an end. Brandon comes home with his buddies to a hero's welcome in small-town Texas. Wives, girlfriends, siblings, and parents have been waiting with crossed fingers for their boys to come home. With lots of hoopla and fanfare, Brandon and a couple others are rewarded Purple Hearts and Bronze Stars for their bravery by a U.S. Senator who promises Brandon anything, anything he wants, whenever he wants it. But now that the guys are home, shit hits the fan. Stop-Loss works best on the home front. The guys go out on the town to their local bar, and as their wives and girlfriends shift in discomfort, they find themselves returning over and over to discussing Iraq. More than one woman gets a black eye behind closed doors, and more than one soldier gets tossed out on the front lawn in response. Brandon's best friend and fellow solider Steve (Channing Tatum) can't keep it together despite the fact that his fiance of 5 years, Michelle (Abbie Cornish) has been patiently waiting. And Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), is a total wreck, resorting to using his wedding presents as target practice, and drinking until he is destructive, both externally and internally. But Brandon seems most together... after all, his tour is done, and his enlistment commitment to the Army is over. That is until he goes to turn in his equipment, and he is told that he is being sent back to Iraq due to "stop-loss"—a presidential order to keep soldiers beyond their termination date (in lieu of a draft), despite any previous agreement. Needless to say, he freaks. For the second half, Stop-Loss becomes a road movie, as Brandon borrows disgruntled old friend Michelle to drive to D.C., in a last-ditch attempt to see if the U.S. Senator indeed will help him out. You hope that the film doesn't turn Hollywood, but director Kimberley Pierce keeps the story grounded by not going for easy plot lines. Though the second half of the film is more meandering, it still kept my attention. Ryan Phillippe, who I have always found to be an actor of rather limited range, is fine as Brandon, as are Channing Tatum as his friend Steve, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the unhinging Tommy. But the real standouts for me are the supporting cast. Abbie Cornish infuses her limited role as the token girl with a lot of soul, and Victor Rasuk breaks your heart in a brief appearance as an amputee casualty from Brandon's squad. Even the smaller roles, like those of Brandon's parents played by Ciarán Hinds and Linda Emond, are given respect despite their small screen time. In this film, everyone is a victim of the war, from the loyal and patriotic soldiers, to their loved ones who wait and worry on the homefront, sacrificing in their own way. Stop-Loss is not going to be a classic film of the ongoing Iraq War, but it gives a cinematic voice to this war of new generation. |
| Home | Currently Playing | For Rent | Video Obsession ©2008 Moviepie e-mail us |
It seems that Hollywood is still grappling with the war in Iraq. It may be a few year still before we see any sort of definitive classic on the subject, like Coming Home or The Deer Hunter did for Vietnam in a few short years after that war ended. In the meantime, there have been (and will continue to be, I'm sure) brutal documentaries and dramas varying in quality. Stop-Loss is a valiant attempt at a sober drama, prettied-up with an MTV-friendly cast (it is, after all, an MTV production) of beautiful young actors.
