 | |
List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 35011
Released: April 25, 2006 |
| Our Price: $4.22 |
| Used Price: $2.85 |
|
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Media: DVD |
|
Editorial Review:
Hailed by critics as a masterpiece CASUALTIES OF WAR is based on the true story of a squad of soldiers caught in the moral quagmire of wartime Vietnam. Witness to a vile crime Private Eriksson (Michael J. Fox TV's Spin City) is forced to stand alone against his fellow soldiers and commanding officer Sergeant Meserve (Sean Penn Dead Man Walking) a powerful and charismatic man pushed over the edge of barbarism by the terror and brutality of combat. With sweeping scope action and raw power master filmmaker Brian DePalma (The Untouchables) creates a devastating and unforgettable tale of one man's quest for sanity and justice amidst the chaos of war.System Requirements:Running Time 119 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE Rating: R UPC: 043396137271 Manufacturer No: 13727
Description of Casualties of War (Unrated Extended Cut):
Based on a true story, this Brian De Palma film casts Michael J. Fox as a soldier in Vietnam in a squad led by Sean Penn. While on patrol, in the wake of an ambush that has left friends dead, they kidnap and rape a Vietnamese woman--then murder her. But Fox, one of the soldiers who refused to participate in the rape, is so appalled by the killing that he reports it--and finds himself being treated as the villain. Penn is scarily tough as the vindictive soldier and De Palma does a solid job of re-creating the crime, making it a thing of horror. Yet this film never quite connects, despite a strong performance by Fox and a supporting cast that includes John C. Reilly and John Leguizamo. --Marshall Fine
Casualties of War (Unrated Extended Cut) Reviews:
Anti war, anti military, piece of garbage 
2009-06-19 - This movie depicts our soldiers and that war in a way that is about as biased and far to the left as it can get. I picked this piece of trash up in a discount bin at Wal-Mart. After watching it, I know why it was in that bin {right after watching it, it was in my trash bin}. There are bad people in every walk of life, military included, but the way these soldiers are portrayed; violent, murdering, heartless, rapists, is over the top. This movie is implying in many ways, that this was common practice by our military HEROES, and cover ups for this behavior was accepted.
I am confident that Sean Penn loved making this movie - this guy is about as un-American as it gets, and I am sure he jumped at the chance to play a role that undermines the greatness of those that served our country and the sacrifice that many of them made. Brian De Palma should be ashamed of himself for this left wing propaganda piece of trash of a movie.
An unexpected gem 
2009-06-07 - 1. I'm neither a fan of Penn or Fox, but it's irrelevant because this is one incredible movie. I forgot how I came across this movie; I think via cable in some motel many moons ago. I was so moved with what I saw, I bought the DVD and can now say that this is one of the best war movies I've seen.
2. Others have well documented what the movie is about; I'm just here to second what most folks have already stated--> highly recommended.
Overkill 
2009-01-27 - First off, I sincerely respect Penn's acting skills; and, while I like Michael J. Fox personally and find him appealing in lighter roles such as "Back to the Future," he projected to me the aura of one of those soldiers destined not to survive the rigors of prolonged combat. With my respect for Penn undiminished, far more than in other films of the genre that I've seen, I could never stop seeing these "soldiers" as actors playing a part; the female victim was the only character who allowed me to totally suspend disbelief (all the worse for me).
As another reviewer observed, casting the roles of participants of a real-world atrocity with actors of a different race seems to go beyond my idea of permissible Hollywood license and deep into propaganda territory. Portraying genuine minority heroes with white actors would provoke outraged protests from whichever community was denied their rightful reflected glory. If this film is to be taken seriously as history, as it strives to be, I don't accept that they needed big-name star power to attract an audience, or that they just couldn't find any actors of the appropriate race talented enough to play their real-world counterparts. "Whitewashing" the racial component in what purports to be a true story is, to the extent it was done, inexcuseable. The producers could have easily fictionalized anything they liked and populated it with a squad of the most popular and convenient societal scapegoat figures imaginable and made a movie representative of the issue(s) they wished to address. But, instead, they chose give their creation the added dramatic weight of a story that is supposed to have really happened as presented, forcing you to witness an atrocity that is not fiction. I believe that the price demanded for such additional dramatic weight is the utmost faithfulness to the facts, including those that the creators might wish were different.
Rape and other atrocities have been commonplace in warfare for as long as there has been warfare, and no side can claim innocence. That's an age-old truism. It's not pretty subject matter, but neither is just about anything else in war. When your life has been reduced to little more than grim survival, and virtually all moral landmarks have been eradicated for expediency, except to follow orders, normal social conventions can't seem very real, anymore. Like most of the audience, I was not in that situation, so, like most of the audience, I can only be disgusted by what I see unfold in this film. I find violence against defenseless non-combatants to be particularly objectionable. No doubt, far worse things have been carried out in times of war, and I'm relieved that I don't have to carry the memory of them around with me as I've carried the memory of the atrocities portrayed in this film around with me for the 20 years since I saw it in the theater. It received favorable reviews, and I was anxious to see Penn in another film. But, in hindsight, I wish I'd never seen it. I would have been more comfortable watching a symbolic, representative piece of fiction than having to bear in mind that the experiences portrayed by the actress in this film actually happened to someone.
I knew that war was an ugly, arbitrary, violent, tragic, and often sadistic place to be without seeing this film. I've read All Quiet on the Western Front, countless non-fictional accounts of WWII, viewed numerous historic war documentaries utilizing contemporary combat footage, and watched countless Hollywood products such as Paths of Glory, Apocalypse Now - The Complete Dossier (Two-Disc Special Collector's Edition), Platoon (Special Edition), Full Metal Jacket, and myriad other films (of all genres). And, while I was fortunate enough not to have to be in this kind of environment, myself, many of the people who've passed through my life had all manner of personal experiences to tell me about WWII, the Korean War, Vietnam, and Desert Storm. I learned all that a person really needs to know about war without this film. All I can say this added to the pile was a mild case of post-traumatic vicarious stress disorder, a condition that, for all I know, exists only in me from watching this movie. I can't think of who needs to see this film. If you're already emotionally numb enough not to be bothered by it, then the message will be lost on you; and if you're at all sensitive, this will just upset you. It doesn't work as an action movie, since the central crime runs through virtually the whole thing like a huge scratch on the print; it doesn't give you any satisfied sense of justice being done in the end, because the system is just as bad after the experience, and the punishments, when they weren't dismissed on technicalities, were ultimately dwarfed by the crime. I won't totally trash this film because it is photographed competently, and the acting is fully adequate. But I can't recommend one of the few films I wish I could erase from my memory.
powerful drama
2009-01-15 - This riveting drama is enhanced by excellent casting. Each character seems ideally suited to their role and delivers skilled acting. One's interest is maintained by a well crafted plot and potent dialog. Considering the combat scenario the violence and foul language are realistic and not excessive. The actors are easy on the eyes. Michael J. Fox is a treasure of talent and sports the clean cut good looks we expect from him. Background music was good quality though not a strong asset. A small and appropriate dose of comic relief also graced the screen. Fox delivers the humorous line, "He ain't rendezvoused with his brain recently" making his character all the more endearing. This is a work of art I not only enjoyed, but I respect.
4 stars out of 4
2008-12-18 - The Bottom Line:
Largely overlooked then and now, Casualties of War is an exceptionally well-made story hampered only slightly by an unnecessary framing device that does not make much sense in the context of the film; great performances (especially by Sean Penn and Dale Dye) carry the harrowing story to an apt conclusion.
