Stop-Loss (B- or 2.5/4 stars)
Kimberly Pierce, director of Boys Don't Cry, takes a stab at a war drama with 'Stop-Loss'. Iraq war hero, Sgt. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe), is relieved to come home to his small Texas hometown. With tour of duty complete, he and his pals, Steve & Tommy (Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt), hope to forget about their tumultuous times by celebratin' Texas-style. These men deserve their long-awaited repose. Things change though when Brandon discovers he's been 'stop-lossed' (arbitrarily ordered to return to field duty by the Army, against one's own will). I do recommend this film. The performances are solid. But the movie's earnest plot feels forced and sentimental, at times. And we don't learn anything new about the emotional toll that contemporary wartime soldiers experience.
The movie starts out strong as we follow Brandon & his men during an ambush in Tikrit, Iraq. Some of Brandon's men fall by the wayside, some are seriously injured. But Brandon buries his initial heartbreak by realizing that his time to come home to America is near. After a hero's welcome, Brandon hopes that his and his surviving friends' consciences will repair themselves. Not so. Just as post-traumatic stress creeps in on these men (extremely well handled), Brandon gets word that he must return to Iraq. Devastated & conflicted, Brandon decides that he must go AWOL. And when Steve decides to re-enlist & attend sniper school, his understandably bereft fiancee, Michelle (Abbie Cornish), decides to help Brandon flee from Texas. Everyone's moods are floundering at this point.
The film's tone changes here as Brandon embarks on a road trip to nowhere (both literally & figuratively). It's unsure what is running through Brandon's mind as he drives on mile after mile. His initial intent is to make it to Washington so that he can explain 'why' he can't go back to Iraq. But he also finds time to visit the parents of dead soldiers, and friends who were wounded in battle. But after a run-in with some thugs, and a fellow AWOL soldier, Brandon really loses his way. Disconsolate, he contemplates border crossing (to Canada or Mexico) to start his life over. Once a proud, patriotic American, Brandon can't deal with the fact that in the space of a few days, he may never see his family again, or recognize any commendable merits of his former life.
This movie's strength is that it's extremely watchable. You can watch passively and still know everything that's going on (physically & emotionally). The cast offers 3 good looking guys at its' center. I can imagine the casting director's thoughts: 'I can reel in the younger girls this way, and young guys will flock to experience the war aspect(s)'. Not necessarily so. I think most people, of any age, are getting tired of the war/anti-war films of late. This film is miles better than last yrs. Rendition. But it just doesn't matter. 'Stop-Loss' was always going to be a hard sell. And selling hard IS the surprisingly talented cast. Ryan Phillippe has some very strong scenes near the end. But as the lead, his character needed to be further developed.
Channing Tatum started his career as an underwear model. And though he initially flaunts (a 5 minute long scene where he's wearing nothing but sweaty underwear briefs), he ultimately turns in a very convincing performance. Gordon-Levitt is great, but underused. Victor Rasuk is fantastic as a blinded soldier. And Abbie Cornish is most impressive as the tough, emotionally trampled-on war fiancee. No one said their jobs were easy, either. I liked 'Stop-Loss', but its execution is both uneven & cliched in parts. It starts strong, has its' visceral moments in the middle, and then ends ... not only unspectacularly, but improbably, as well. Unless you consider how unflappably unstable Brandon 'really' is in the end, it's hard to buy the last 2 minutes.
The movie starts out strong as we follow Brandon & his men during an ambush in Tikrit, Iraq. Some of Brandon's men fall by the wayside, some are seriously injured. But Brandon buries his initial heartbreak by realizing that his time to come home to America is near. After a hero's welcome, Brandon hopes that his and his surviving friends' consciences will repair themselves. Not so. Just as post-traumatic stress creeps in on these men (extremely well handled), Brandon gets word that he must return to Iraq. Devastated & conflicted, Brandon decides that he must go AWOL. And when Steve decides to re-enlist & attend sniper school, his understandably bereft fiancee, Michelle (Abbie Cornish), decides to help Brandon flee from Texas. Everyone's moods are floundering at this point.
The film's tone changes here as Brandon embarks on a road trip to nowhere (both literally & figuratively). It's unsure what is running through Brandon's mind as he drives on mile after mile. His initial intent is to make it to Washington so that he can explain 'why' he can't go back to Iraq. But he also finds time to visit the parents of dead soldiers, and friends who were wounded in battle. But after a run-in with some thugs, and a fellow AWOL soldier, Brandon really loses his way. Disconsolate, he contemplates border crossing (to Canada or Mexico) to start his life over. Once a proud, patriotic American, Brandon can't deal with the fact that in the space of a few days, he may never see his family again, or recognize any commendable merits of his former life.
This movie's strength is that it's extremely watchable. You can watch passively and still know everything that's going on (physically & emotionally). The cast offers 3 good looking guys at its' center. I can imagine the casting director's thoughts: 'I can reel in the younger girls this way, and young guys will flock to experience the war aspect(s)'. Not necessarily so. I think most people, of any age, are getting tired of the war/anti-war films of late. This film is miles better than last yrs. Rendition. But it just doesn't matter. 'Stop-Loss' was always going to be a hard sell. And selling hard IS the surprisingly talented cast. Ryan Phillippe has some very strong scenes near the end. But as the lead, his character needed to be further developed.
Channing Tatum started his career as an underwear model. And though he initially flaunts (a 5 minute long scene where he's wearing nothing but sweaty underwear briefs), he ultimately turns in a very convincing performance. Gordon-Levitt is great, but underused. Victor Rasuk is fantastic as a blinded soldier. And Abbie Cornish is most impressive as the tough, emotionally trampled-on war fiancee. No one said their jobs were easy, either. I liked 'Stop-Loss', but its execution is both uneven & cliched in parts. It starts strong, has its' visceral moments in the middle, and then ends ... not only unspectacularly, but improbably, as well. Unless you consider how unflappably unstable Brandon 'really' is in the end, it's hard to buy the last 2 minutes.