Outrages

War is bloody, it's dirty, it's ugly, it's a nightmare, but what happened in "Casualties of War" wasn't war even by the most hawkish definition.

Five men, led by Sargent Meserve (Sean Penn), went on a short mission and along the way they kidnapped, r*ped, and killed a young Vietnamese woman. Of the five only four partook in the sexual assault while Pfc Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) abstained. It's hard to say what was more depressing and more disturbing: the fact that a platoon of soldiers kidnapped, r*ped, and killed a woman, the fact that the two leaders coerced Diaz (John Leguizamo) to partake and tried to coerce Eriksson, or the fact that Eriksson told his superiors and they were almost angry he mentioned it. All of these facts are immensely disturbing and I can only imagine that if this one instance did come to light, how many others stayed in darkness?

Whether you believe these men did these acts because of the war or because of something within them irrespective of the war, it was still depravity. And I got the impression that depravity was normal and tacitly approved so long as the men were good soldiers. War is no place for a conscience. It's no place for morals, manners, ethics, religion, or right and wrong. It's a place of following orders and being a good soldier. And if r*ping an innocent woman along the way will help a man be a better soldier, then so be it. It would seem that the Army would take ten Sargent Meserves over one thousand Erikssons.

This same story told by a different soldier would have you believe that Eriksson was a treacherous soldier not to be trusted. He doesn't follow orders and he's a rat. Meserve wanted all of his guys to participate in the violation of the nameless Vietnamese woman because then he could trust them all. If they were all dirty then he'd know that they were all equally guilty and they were all in the crap together. But if one of them should abstain, such as Eriksson did, then now you have someone who's not a part of the team. But how far would you be willing to go to be a part of the "team?"

As a plot, as a production, and as far as performances; this was a quality movie. Sean Penn was masterfully despicable. He played his character so well I'm sure his own mother hated him. But as much of a quality movie this was, "Casualties of War" made me sick. I was sick with anger, disgust, disappointment, sadness. This was one hard movie to watch. Some movies are hard to watch because they are so bad, yet this one was hard to watch purely because of the content.

This happened. I can watch the movie or not watch the movie. It won't change a thing. This deplorable and immeasurably depraved act happened, so why not know the truth in all its ugliness as opposed to some sugar coated version to make us all feel good about the Vietnam War and our soldiers? I think we owe it to ourselves and to the nameless faceless Vietnamese that were killed for no reason.

CASUALTIES OF WAR tells the excruciating true story of a squad of American soldiers during the Vietnam War, who kidnap and rape a young Vietnamese girl in the name of fun. The story is told through the youthful and innocent eyes of Michael J. Fox, in a rare dramatic performance that may be his career-best.

Films like this can hardly be enjoyed, but CASUALTIES OF WAR proves to be unmissable entertainment and one of the harshest war stories out there; also, one of the best. It's a bit like watching a film of a train wreck, where you can't tear yourself away from what's happening and what you know is going to happen. The tragic, soul-searing story is one of the most moving I've ever seen.

A film like this needs a great director to tell it, and de Palma is that director. He wisely lets the story tell itself for the most part, but he can't resist incorporating a couple of flourishes (like the POV sequence) that remind us of his skill as an auteur. The cast is great, too, particularly the newbie actors (John C. Reilly and John Leguizano) playing soldiers and Sean Penn as the hateful sergeant. Understandably, Thuy Thu Le has the toughest role, and it's one she walks away from with her head held high; if ever an actress deserved an Oscar nod, it's her.

If there's a moral to this story, aside from all the basic ones, its that a lot of casualties of war are because boys are sent in to fight for causes they only know a little about. In this case, Michael Fox plays a boy who, more than any other movie ever made, has to grow up in a hurry. He is part of a fighting unit which has gone loco, thanks mostly to two insane members. The five man unit kidnap a young girl in order to rape and kill her. Fox does all he can to stop it, as a boy who is a member of a respected group. During the movie, Fox realizes he must be more than that to stop the maniacs. He realizes the maniacs will never stop. In essence, he becomes a man, which alienates him from the numerous maniacs in charge, which is the real problem. Excellent writing and production. And one of the best realistic yet Hollywood endings of all time.

Based on a true story, the arrogant sergeant (Sean Penn) of a 5-man squad on a reconnaissance mission in Vietnam in November, 1966, decides to kidnap a Vietnamese farm girl for some "portable R&R" because it would be "good for the morale of the squad." But PFC Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) refuses to participate and fears being "killed In Action" for dissenting.

"Casualties of War" (1989) separates itself from other Vietnam War movies by focusing on the incident at hand, including the build-up and aftermath. Its uniqueness is augmented by Brian De Palma's slightly off-kilter style. The picture balances the beauty of the location and the artistry of Brian De Palma's filmmaking with the horror and ugliness of war & rape.

It's also realistic and compelling while simultaneously being mundane, which is why some viewers might find it boring. In other words, this is more of a gut-wrenching war drama with some action than a typical war flick with explosions and action thrills galore. It fairly closely follows the real story; Google Incident on Hill 192 for details.

The movie runs 1 hour, 59 minutes, with the original Theatrical Cut being 6 minutes shorter. It was shot in Phang Nga, Kanchanaburi & Phuket, Thailand, and Dolores Park, San Francisco, California.

GRADE: A-/B+

Casualties of War shows that war can be ugly for more than the obvious reasons. A great dramatic piece by Brian De Palma.

The good. Excellent score. Once past the intro, powerful mood. Riveting story. Well built scenario, very logical and nicely paced. Emotionally disturbing.

The actors. Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn are just perfect as antagonist. Don Harvey fits his crazy role very well. John C. Reilly plays the simpleton with convincing clarity. And I'll just mention in passing a good performance by Ving Rhames.

The bad. The initial jungle scenes lack realism, as well as some over-acting by the black guy in the first part.

The ugly. Nothing.

The result. An emotional and brutal movie. Not for the faint of heart.