Kevin Bacon Movie:

Editorial Review:
The made-for-HBO Taking Chance is based on perhaps the single most moving artifact to come out of the Second Gulf War, Lt. Col. Mike Strobl's first-person narrative of his voluntary mission escorting the body of a fellow Marine killed in Iraq. Strobl (played in the film by Kevin Bacon) hadn't known Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps but, noticing they'd been born in the same western town, he requested temporary leave from his duties as a manpower-deployment analyst at Quantico in order to accompany the 20-year-old's body home. Home, as it turned out, was no longer their shared birthplace in Colorado but the high-country Wyoming town of Dubois. The journey would take Strobl deep into the heart of his nation, and his own heart as well. There's no overstating the power and beauty of what he encountered: one instance after another of not just military personnel but airline employees, passengers, and bystanders doing honor--mostly wordlessly--to Chance's coffin and his escort as they passed by. First-time director Ross Katz deserves credit for declining to inflate any of these moments or underscore their meaning with grandiloquent speechifying, and Bacon--an actor who couldn't hit a false note if his life depended on it--is true to the Desert Storm veteran's self-discipline and emotional discretion. The picture's decency is unimpeachable, and Strobl's story, transcending pro-war and anti-war politics, is itself an act of healing. What's missing is the seasoned hand of a great director (Ang Lee, say) to invest it with the rhythm and movement of a fully achieved feature film. Still, this is a journey you'll feel enriched by sharing. --Richard T. Jameson

On the DVD
Several somewhat overlapping short videos offer testimony to Chance Phelps's fun-loving spirit, heroic death, and spiritual legacy by his family, friends, and fellow Marines. They're good people. There's also a brief deleted scene--actually, portion of a scene--and some not particularly illuminating commentary on the making of the film. --Richard T. Jameson

Taking Chance [Blu-ray] Reviews:
Outstanding witness, and perfectly under-stated in every way
2009-12-26 - I don't know why I hadn't even heard of this movie until a few days ago. That evening I put it at the top of my NetFlix list. After watching it only twice (so far), I feel like the story of Lance Corporal Chance Phelps (and everyone around it) is written permanently into my soul. I'm retired Air Force, latter Vietnam era to November 1991, and there was nothing in this movie that disappointed me in the least. I "knew" about the Dover Mortuary, from somewhere in the fog of my service years, but I really didn't "know". I'm very appreciative that the writers opened those doors wide, for all of us.

I thought Kevin Bacon was brilliant in understatement, just as emotion is often understated on the public face of the US Armed Forces. I also thought Bacon did an excellent job of suppressing the sense of guilt that Lt Col Strobl had held quietly within himself, not fully revealed until later in the story. In fact, for that reason I appreciated Bacon's acting even more in the second viewing.

In truth, I might have thought some of the civilians' reactions might have been a little overdone in the movie, had it not been for my own personal experiences in the weeks following Desert Storm: Whenever I stopped at a gas station or grocery on the way home from work, in uniform, total strangers would nod, smile, or even wave from across the parking lot. As a veteran of the "darkness" of the Vietnam era, I can't even begin to say how good that made me feel. So even before I watched this movie, I already had a sense of what our countrymen really think about their servicemen. The spirit of the average American should never be underestimated.

I'm sure that's why this movie left me practically teary-eyed from the first 10 minutes -- a certain amount of anticipation, soon justified by evidence of the same unity of spirit that I had witnessed at quick-stops in Florida in 1991 -- the "glue" that has sustained America as the greatest country in the world: It's not the warriors who wear the uniforms, it's all of us together. I think this movie made that statement in spades.

For skeptics, I might recommend watching the special feature "Bearing Witness" first, especially the interviews with the members of Lance Corporal Phelps' unit. Then maybe the genuineness of the story will come through.

I could say a lot more that a hundred others have already said. Just this much more: If you have the tiniest iota of American spirit anywhere in your bones, DON'T MISS THIS MOVIE.


Taking Chance Review
2009-12-23 - Heartwarming and informative. I loved it. Great to know our fallen soldiers are treated with the respect they deserve until they reach their final destination. Brings home the message that they are not just a statistic. They are real people with real lives interrupted, and they will be missed and remembered forever by those who loved them. Great cast and one of Kevin Bacon's best performances.Had to buy it for my collection of keepers. Thanks again for excellence in service Amazon...ml

Profoundly Touching
2009-12-21 - This is a brilliant movie. I switched HBO on one morning and TAKING CHANCE had started 15 minutes before. I was having a quick Saturday morning coffee, thinking I would just channel surf before heading off to work. Wrong. Without fanfare or dramatic action this movie just grabbed me, set me down to watch and would not let me go until the very end. I admit to tears and a heartfelt pride of being an American. This is perhaps one of the most profoundly touching movie I have seen in years. My wife and I see an average of 30 to 40 movies annually so our taste is pretty refined, and perhaps a little jaded so we seldom see a movie twice. After seeing TAKING CHANCE 2 more times, we are still deeply moved by this finely crafted, sincere, and beautifully filmed motion picture. There are no gimmicks, only simple truth of pride, honor and love of country. This tells me with great clarity why this great nation of ours will always prevail.

TAKING CHANCE
2009-12-21 - FIRST MY COMPLIMENTS TO THE SELLER IT ARRIVED BEFORE EXPECTED AND IN PERFECT CONDITION BUT I HAVE TO SAY THE MOVIE WAS ALSO EXCELLENT AND DONE IT GOOD TASTE.....

Kevin Bacon Carries The Day
2009-12-20 - Taking Chance is the emotional saga of a Marine officer escorting the body of a fallen Marine back to his hometown for burial. When I first heard of this movie, I couldn't have thought of a subject more worthy of putting to film. The actual film, though, fell short of my high expectations but it's still worth a watch even if only as a quiet gesture of respect to a fallen hero. Kevin Bacon stars as Lt. Col. Michael Strobl taking Chance back home. His masterful acting (subtle grimaces, taught lips, expressive eyes, the tilt of the head, his spare words) carry the film through periodic weaknesses, some of which I point out below. By the way, if you're expecting an emotional punch here, you won't be disappointed. Have a hankie ready.

Here are my quibbles:

1. Discontinuity
Although a minor point, perhaps, Ross Katz's inattention to detail shows up in the discontinuity of airport transition shots where an MD80 aircraft bearing the casket takes off from one airport and lands as a 747; later, an MD80 takes off and lands as an A310. Most viewers will say, "What's the big deal?", but to me, these oversights gave the film a distinctly made-for-TV-movie feel.

2. Clumsy Staging
In another scene, this one at the Minneapolis airport, the ground crew is shown coming to attention on the tarmac as they realize that a soldier's body is being transferred from the nearby plane. What could have been a powerful scene is rendered a artificial by the obviously perfect placement of the crew to satisfy the eye of the camera. This is unlikely in the frenetic environment of a busy airport.

3. Political Correctness
For those viewers who expect the film to sidestep politics and focus on the main story, director Ross Katz disappoints. Taking Chance is peppered with Hollywood's anti-war cant. Even the young, greasy-haired hearse driver is enlisted in the cause by telling Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, the Kevin Bacon character, "I gotta be honest, no offense, but I don't really get what were doing over there." On the other hand, the touching vignettes of patriotic respect probably needed tempering to draw in a wider audience.

Despite the flaws, I'm glad I saw this one and I think you will be, too. An extra treat was the Bearing Witness Special Feature, included on the DVD. It's better than the movie.