Friendly Fire

I saw this movie many years ago on television and I was deeply moved by it. I don't agree with the comment another reader posted that the Mullens were trying to start a revolution about their son's death. What they were mad about, and rightly so in my opinion was the apparent cover-up the military did on the death. They only wanted the real truth about how their son died not a lot of lies which is what they got. I thought Carol Burnett was marvelous in her role. Up until that time, I had never seen her in anything but a comedic role and it was refreshing to see her in a dramatic role. Ned Beatty, as usual, was his stoic self. I would have liked to have seen his character display a bit more emotion but that was how the male society was at that time, very unemotional. Has this movie ever been released on video or DVD? I would love to get a copy.

Watching this film nearly 40 years later, it's amazing that nothing has changed. We are still involved in useless wars, and the military/industrial complex and secret government continue to lie to American citizens as they profit from their wars.

FRIENDLY FIRE helped make the Vietnam War personal, taking the unnecessary death of an unimportant soldier and showing the world that every death matters.

The story of the Iowa farm couple, the Mullens, is beautifully told here in an straightforward way. It shows us their everyday life, their community, their kids. It shows the devastation their son's death in Vietnam brings. It then chronicles the long journey to discovery the truth about that death.

Carol Burnett and Ned Beatty are superb in playing this middle-America couple. There's nothing extraordinary about them. They are average citizens going about their lives until war claims their son. What ensues is a years-long battle with the government and the military to get to the truth. Their mail is tampered with. Their phones are bugged. They are lied to by the military anxious to cover-up their own ineptitude.

The Mullens challenge the way the war is sold to the American public on the evening news. They challenge the very concept of this "war to save democracy" that actually has nothing to do with this country and that was never legally sanctioned by Congress.

Nothing has changed. Add Iraq and Afghanistan to the list of wars.

In casting comedienne Burnett as Peg Mullen, the filmmakers scored a brilliant bulls eye by using Burnett's cozy personality to embody Mullen's flinty determination. Beatty is also perfectly cast. Together they portray a couple shattered by the death of their son, unable to move forward with their lives. Sam Waterston plays the writer who eventually pens the book this film was based on.

No one wins a war. And this film perfectly portrays the that fact.

The Unites States Army has a history dating back to 1776. In it's archives are stories of great courage and heroism. Citizens, ranging from school Children to civic patriots who erect statues and monuments to those great men have come to believe in their heroes. It is difficult then to discover that the very people who are entrusted with telling the truth of the fallen have decided to lie to Americans. This movie is called " Friendly Fire " a difficult misnomer if ever there was one. The most famous casualty of friendly fire (accidently killing our own soldiers) was Pat Tillman a courageous man who gave up a lucrative football career to serve his country. However, the U.S Army dishonored his sacrifice and fabricated his death. In this story, Mr. and Mrs. Gene Mullen (Ned Beatty and Carol Burnett, Great acting.) play an Iowa couple who proudly see their son Michael march off to war. Unfortunately, the military replays their trust by first pretending to not knowing the details of their son's death and then later trying to destroy their credibility by not answering their inquisitive questions, spying on them, tapping their phones and finally trying to discredit them as Americans and their tireless efforts to learn the real story behind their son's death. Director David Greene and writer Courtlandt Bryan provide's amply foundation for the Mullen's desperate plea for understanding and final resolution. Sam Waterston plays C.D. Bryan a very sympathetic writer who finally helps them to find a simple peace. One which America still waits on the fifth Tillman investigation. ****

This film is available as DVD at amazon.uk, and amazon.de, United Kingdom and Germany. Unfortunately not in USA except very high cost VHS version. The German disc (also the provider for UK) has English & German audio tracks. It's a shame no one USA provides this as a DVD version. I saw this when it first came out as a TV movie. It's incredible. An almost forgotten war now except those who participated or were effected in other ways. It's the story of all wars. Waste, horror and unintended consequences. Sad. It continues today in Afghanistan. Friendly Fire, Fratricide. Sometimes they are seen as Heroes. Mostly they are victims as are all the dead of The Extreme Form of Politics, War. Carol Burnett's performance is just heartbreaking. It is hard to get an off Region DVD legally. Surely amazon.com could offer this in a Region 1 DVD. There's a market. Please fill it. It's available on amazon Prime to view. That's like watching pictures of kittens but unable to touch them.

Like other reviewers, I was reminded of the "heroic" death of Pat Tillman. The misguided attempts of some in the armed forces to console the families, friends and country about the loss of a favorite son resonate deeply into the heartland.

Seeing this movie made in 1979 showcases how little we have learned from the lessons of Vietnam, or the Colin Powell doctrine (if you don't know it, Google it). What a rich and fortunate country we are that we can afford to throw away our best young men, over and over and over.

I lost 6 men from my squadron on February 11, 1971. Non-combat related, but dead just the same. Years later, Clyde's heartbroken daughter asked me why he had died. I had no answer for her, just as the Sam Waterston character has no answer for the Mullens. I still don't know. At the time, I didn't even know why I survived. I since have learned that lesson. It's so I can keep the memory of those 6 men alive, and remind others that they once walked among us, and are still loved by those who knew them.

Friendly Fire is not perfect, but it's good enough. See it. Reflect on it. Go out and change the world.