Casualties of War [Extended Cut]

American servicemen are just as guilty of such atrocities today. We've already seen stories of how they rape their own female comrades in Iraq and Afghanistan. No wonder the people whose countries we occupy hate the "Ugly Americans."


Beyond the war   April 1, 2004
This is one of the most disturbing films I have ever seen. It is a war movie that goes so far beyond war itself that Vietnam almost seems an afterthought. This DVD does not showcase an specific battle or heroic stand, nor does it document any significant persons or events in the war.

Rather, the approach of this story is far more basic: what is the relationship between men & women during wartime? Is it different than during peace? What if the woman in question is suspected of being the enemy? What is the typical response of the military hierarchy to an alleged crime? What can be done to minimize the opportunities of military units abusing their power and control? (After all, armies are frequently misogynistic to begin with).

Michael J. Fox belongs in a war movie just about as much as Winnie the Pooh is at home in an action movie. However, it is for this very reason that Fox is perfect in this film. This is not a plot that tells of manly men doing manly wartime things. Fox' character is an average-Joe human who is mainly consumed with the notion of getting back home in one piece as opposed to being shipped back in a body bag.

On a patrol, his detail (led by the masterful actor Sean Penn) decides to kidnap a Vietnamese girl whom they believe to be VC. They use this premise (misguided or not) to justify their having their way w/her while Fox and the viewer watch helplessly.

This is one of the most poignant war movies you will ever see. The issue it addresses is very relevant despite being distasteful. I cringe to think that the episode depicted was hardly an isolated case, whether it be a crime inflicted by the US military or any other standing army in the history of warfare.

In sum, this is a jolting reminder to us that warfare and ethics are inherently unhappy bedfellows. What happens in the field should NOT stay in the field.


A true story told with flaws   March 18, 2004
Casualties of War, despites some of its flaws, is quite faithful to the original text which was a true story. Not many people realize that "Sven Eriksson" is a real person who actually experienced much of what Michael J. Fox's character went through in the movie.

But does it work as a movie? For the most part, yes. The two glaring problems with Casualties is the ending and some of the soundtrack music which DePalma uses to excess.

The ending, as it's explained within the DVD extras, is purposely presented as uplifting. We see Eriksson on a San Francisco BART train awaking from his bad dream/memories. He sees a girl who could be the one who was murdered and raped in Vietnam. He calls out the Vietnamese girl's name. The woman responds that he must have had a bad dream, but it's all over now. And then we get the "uplifting" music that rises to a crescendo.

Upon viewing the movie for a second time this ending is particularly bad. DePalma argues in the DVD extras that this positive ending was meant as a way to give the audience some relief. However, it's so hammy that it belittles the true story that precedes it. It's all a dream, it's all over, everything is now OK. But everything is not OK and everything is not over.

Which brings me to the one thing that this DVD should have offered - more information about the true story behind the movie. Why not go to Vietnam and show where the incidents actually took place? "Eriksson" is actually a pseudonym of the real man who has apparently been in hiding due to death threats from the men he helped put in prison. How about some more information about where these men are today? Perhaps nothing more can be offered about Eriksson, but at least we could have been shown in the DVD what happened to the men who committed the crimes.

I give the DVD five stars because this story is important. Americans so quickly forget these kinds of true stories. We quickly sweep them under the rug and say it doesn't matter. Casualties helps brings us back to reality, albeitly in a rather flawed manner.


Good movie, but not a classic   March 9, 2004
I just bought the DVD because it was on sale and had not watched the movie in years. It is an okay movie. The drama between the men in the squad is great, but the movie just feels like it is trying to live up to Platoon. I wish the movie had more action then it did, but the main objective of the movie is to be dramatic, not action based. If you want to watch a movie about the grime and unseen actions that take place in war, I reccommend you rent this. If not, don't bother.