Stop-Loss
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Movie Reviews of Stop-Loss
Movie Review: Afterburn
Summary: 4 Stars
The title of this film STOP-LOSS may puzzle many. According to Wikipedia, 'Stop-loss, in the United States military, is the involuntary extension of a service member's active duty service under the enlistment contract in order to retain them beyond their initial end of term of service (ETS) date. It also applies to the cessation of a permanent change of station (PCS) move for a member still in military service'. According to writer (with Mark Richard)/director Kimberly Pierce (whose previous 'Boy's Don't Cry' tackled similarly volatile issues), the impetus for making this film about the effects of war on veterans returning home was her viewing of videos taken by soldiers while actively engaged in battle in Iraq: this is the first war where the soldiers have actually photographed their own experiences, documenting the realities/horrors of war on the now popular video equipment at their disposal. It is a solid idea for a film, but somehow the idea gets diluted in the script.
Texas homeboys who have just returned from the Iraq war are greeted with a parade and medals and empty rhetoric, but find adapting to reentry into their native land is fraught with the deeply embedded mental wounds of their experience: interpersonal relationships fall apart, families face altered personalities in their sons, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome reigns. Brandon (Ryan Phillippe) blames himself for the deaths of his men, Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) drinks himself toward suicide, Rico (Victor Rasuk) attempts to see past his traumatically missing limbs, Isaac (Rob Brown) finds his entire world out of focus, and Steve (Channing Tatum) sees the military as his only point of reality to a life of success. When Brandon receives his Stop-Loss instead of his discharge papers his world turns upside down and he flounders in his nightmares and his need for escape to Canada or Mexico with his friend Michelle (Abbie Cornish). The horror of events that follow the homecoming of these damaged soldiers culminates in a tragedy that somehow results in the soldiers following the orders of the governmental Stop-Loss orders. And that is the worst tragedy.
Though the message is important, the delivery of it gets hazy: the motivations of the characters are too loosely defined to convince us of their terrible plights. But the impact on the public should be a wake-up call on the extended damage of war - any war- on the men and women who experience it first hand and carry the mental scars for life. For that reason, if for no other, this is a film that should be seen. Grady Harp, July 08
Movie Review: An emotionally honest, gut-punching film.
Summary: 4 Stars
"Stop-Loss" is one of those films that divides its audience. Some will look at it and be appalled at its portrayal of our soldiers as people with troubles; others will applaud its attempt (not quite successful, but laudable nonetheless) to humanize our men and women of uniform. The film is emotional and honest; honesty is often disturbing, and "Stop-Loss" (especially with its opening scenes) isn't a film for everyone.
Honesty isn't everything, however, and "Stop-Loss" does have its problems. The film deals with cliches; this is, obviously, a Hollywood necessity, but it does suggest that all returning Iraq veterans suffer PTSD, which of course isn't true; smart film-goers will figure this out for themselves, but it is kind of annoying to see an otherwise-solid film bordering on stereotyping. And also, the second-half of the film isn't quite as gripping as the first; Phillippe is a great actor (and no, I never thought I would say that; but it's true), but the real dynamic of the film comes from the interaction of our four protagonists: returning vets Brandon (Phillippe), Steve (Channing Tatum, surprisingly good for a change), and Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, reliable as always); and Steve's fiancee, Michelle (Abbie Cornish, a wonder). When Brandon gets stop-lossed (meaning, even though he's finished his tour, they're sending him back), he goes AWOL, taking Michelle with him. It's here that the film slowly begins to unravel; we care more about the interaction between the four than we do Brandon's individual plight, and the film grows stronger near the end, when the four are (kind of, and don't worry, no spoilers) reunited.
There's a message in "Stop-Loss," of course; it is an anti-war film in the vein of great anti-war statements: it isn't in-your-face. Subtlety is the name of the game here, and director Kimberly Pierce more or less pulls that off (except towards the end). But the film, ultimately, doesn't really go anywhere; it doesn't get as deep as we want it to. The script is solid, the directing is good, and the acting is fantastic; but the movie isn't quite the sum of its parts, and comes off as something less than what it should have been. It's still recommendable viewing, however, and serves as one of the more intelligent anti-Iraq War films to come out lately. The film feels real, it feels gritty, and that's how it should be.
Movie Review: An imperfect but powerful film.
Summary: 4 Stars
Kimberly Peirce made "Stop-Loss" in reaction to her brother's experiences as an Iraq soldier, and her anger on behalf of Iraq soldiers burns through the celluloid. Unfortunately, that anger also makes the movie somewhat misshapen. By concentrating so much on the plight of one soldier (Ryan Philippe) who has been "stop-lossed"--ordered back to Iraq without his prior knowledge and against his will--Peirce shortchanges most of the other characters in the movie. The sorrowful ending feels rushed after what has come before, and I wish she had made Philippe's commanding officer (Timothy Olyphant) less of a one-note martinet villain. Nevertheless, the film serves as a powerful brief on behalf of fighting men (and women too, though the film portrays no women soldiers) whom the military sees less as human beings than as war materiel to be deployed at its whim. Peirce makes the point emphatically that these are not wimpy draft-dodgers (there being, of course, no draft to dodge), but courageous, battle-hardened soldiers who love their country and are placed in an unendurable dilemma by the practice of stop-loss.
Many sequences of the film crackle with power and suspense, thanks partly to the superb camera work of cinematographer Chris Menges. (The early, flickering home-movie sequences of combat in Iraq are a sad, sardonic parody of current armed-forces recruiting commercials.) But what really makes "Stop-Loss" worth seeing is the power of the performances. Ryan Philippe--who showed greater-than-average promise in such films as "Gosford Park" and "Breach"--gives his finest performance to date as the stop-lossed soldier, a man torn apart by conflicting imperatives. Channing Tatum, as his best Army buddy, and Abbie Cornish as Tatum's fiancee are equally fine. The always brilliant Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes a strong impression as an alcoholic screwup who can't envision a life beyond the Army, and so does Victor Rasuk as a hideously maimed member of Philippe's squad. It's too bad that other fine actors--such as Olyphant, Ciaran Hinds as Philippe's father, Mamie Gummer as Gordon-Levitt's fiancee and Josef Sommer as a pompous senator--are consigned to glorified walk-ons. Nevertheless, Peirce has put on screen a memorable advocacy piece on behalf of the American fighting man. This film, almost by definition, will be a tough sell to audiences; I hope it finds its niche.
Movie Review: A Very Politically Charged Film
Summary: 4 Stars
Your views on the Iraq War will have a definite impact on whether or not you like this film. If you are against the U.S. involvement, then the plight of the main characters will move you because you can blame the government for destroying young lives, and probably love the film. If you support the war, then you will want Sgt. King (Ryan Phillippe's character) captured and court-martialed. Since that doesn't happen, you will probably hate the film. Either way, this film will bring out the emotions.
The film has four weaknesses. First, we don't know the motivations behind King's decision, and I don't think the viewer was supposed to guess. Was it fear, was it guilt, was it selfishness, was it because he felt duped, was it all four?
Second, King visits the parents of deceased soldiers and visits one who is severly wounded, but will live. I thought this was gratuitous, and the subliminal message these scenes conveyed was that U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan is wrong.
Third, King going AWOL seemed a contrived way of him visiting the families of deceased soldiers and his friend at the VA hospital.
Fourth, the main theme of the film is the political message, so the context which is was presented around, such as the adjusting to life, the other soldiers who didn't get stop-lossed got ignored.
That said, the strength of the film was in the performances. I think Ryan Phillippe is one of the most underrated actors around today. I dare say, he is the James Cagney or Robert De Niro of his generation. I did have issues with this character's motivation, but I connected with him nevertheless. Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt both gave strong performances, which led to a weakness of the film; I wanted to see more of their characters, and their stories. And Victor Rasuk, in a small role, also connected with me. Despite the underlying message, I thought the "sad scenes" with the family and hospital visits were touching.
The dvd also has some extras which add value to the film, ie, if I saw it in the theatres, I'd have given it a three. The deleted scenes answers some questions I had about the plot, and the making of and the day in boot camp were also informative.
Movie Review: Minnelli Rebooted
Summary: 4 Stars
STOP LOSS is a film with many virtues, especially its raw and rushed look by the great Chris Menges, but it hasn't much of a screenplay and some of the boys-only sequences leave audiences wondering how Kim Peirce thinks men spend their time together. Ryan Phillipe has always found peace at the ranch, it's been a safe place, but now it's become a place of danger now that he is AWOL or whatever. This ranch place is a couple of shacks hardly fit for dogs to live in, but the imaginary Texas boys of Peirce's screenplay slobber all over it like lt's the Grand Hilton of boy fun. They shoot off dozens of rifles and handguns and kill them some wild animals. I get it, it's sort of like Iraq, but it made me start thinking, maybe Iraq would be more fun for these boys if they could do the kind of uninhibited drinking they do out at their forty acre ranch. Australian starlet Abbie Cornish seems to have prepared for her part as the girl next door by watching reel after reel of old LBJ press conferences, and her West Texas accent is startlingly good, if a little, well, brusque. Any moment I expected her to pick up a beagle by its ears and swing it around.
You know what it's like, the hunting sequences in Vincente Minnelli's HOME FROM THE HILL. I expect Minnelli had even less experience that Peirce being out on a weeklong fox hunt with a pack of drink-crazed good ol boys, but he brought an imagined, Bacchic frenzy to such sequences, amped up the red filter playing off the barbeque flames, and it paid off for him. In each case, the director's fascination with masculinity makes film fairly pop with color and sweat. Minnelli probably wished from his grave, that it had been he who had captured that shot of a drunken Channing Tatum, wearing only a pair of insanely tight, sultry and shiny Calvin Kleins, digging himself into a makeshift grave in his own front garden, cowering in the headlights of a car, crying and turning his own body into a Pieta.