The bravest place to stand is by each other's side.
Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind. Then, against Brandon's will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq, which upends his world. The conflict tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love and the value of honor.
Genre(s): Drama, War
Runtime: 112 minutes
Rating: 6.6/10 (7,730 votes)
Release Date: 13 March 2008
Country: USA
Languages: English
Company: Paramount Pictures
Sound: DTS, Dolby Digital, SDDS
MPAA: Rated R for graphic violence and pervasive language. (re-rating; originally also some strong sexuality)
Director(s): Kimberly Peirce
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Producer(s):
Reid Carolin - associate producer
Sam Cassel - associate producer
Michael Diliberti - associate producer
Gregory Goodman - producer
Kimberly Peirce - producer
Mark Roybal - producer
Scott Rudin - producer
Pamela Abdy - executive producer (uncredited)
Alli Shearmur - executive producer (uncredited)
Writer(s):
Mark Richard - (written by) &
Kimberly Peirce - (written by) (as Katherine Peirce)
Cast:
Ryan Phillippe - SSgt. Brandon King
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Tommy Burgess
Rob Brown - Isaac 'Eyeball' Butler
Channing Tatum - Sgt. Steve Shriver
Victor Rasuk - Pvt. Rico Rodriguez
Terry Quay - Al 'Preacher' Colson
Matthew Scott Wilcox - Harvey 'Rabbit' Lankford
Connett Brewer - Curtis (as Connett M. Brewer)
Timothy Olyphant - Lt. Col. Boot Miller
Josef Sommer - Senator Orton Worrell
Music: John Powell
Reid Carolin - associate producer
Sam Cassel - associate producer
Michael Diliberti - associate producer
Gregory Goodman - producer
Kimberly Peirce - producer
Mark Roybal - producer
Scott Rudin - producer
Pamela Abdy - executive producer (uncredited)
Alli Shearmur - executive producer (uncredited)
Writer(s):
Mark Richard - (written by) &
Kimberly Peirce - (written by) (as Katherine Peirce)
Cast:
Ryan Phillippe - SSgt. Brandon King
Joseph Gordon-Levitt - Tommy Burgess
Rob Brown - Isaac 'Eyeball' Butler
Channing Tatum - Sgt. Steve Shriver
Victor Rasuk - Pvt. Rico Rodriguez
Terry Quay - Al 'Preacher' Colson
Matthew Scott Wilcox - Harvey 'Rabbit' Lankford
Connett Brewer - Curtis (as Connett M. Brewer)
Timothy Olyphant - Lt. Col. Boot Miller
Josef Sommer - Senator Orton Worrell
Music: John Powell
Posted on: March 20, 2008
October 7th, 2008
The war movie has never been an easy thing to create, and over thecourse of history, it's hard to pinpoint any other genre of film thathas managed to strike up as much controversy and debate. Stop-Loss isno different from those that reside within its close proximity, yetdespite its ability to strike up conversation, to get the mind thinkingand to question war itself, an obvious lack of sustainable narrativehurts the film where it matters most. Overlong, poorly focused andincoherent, the storytelling element of Kimberly Peirce's ambitiousproject here doesn't do as much justice to the themes of the script asshe would probably have hoped to. To be fair, there is somehard-hitting material here, and characters along with their respectiveperformers are rounded enough to avoid being mere place holders forideas, and as such Stop-Loss does manage to retain a strong gasp uponthe attention. Yet lumbered with a tedious middle act and an endingthat seems ill at ease with itself, the ride, although mostlyrewarding, is unavoidably rough.
In what is best compared to such war movies as the classic DeNiro andMichael Cimino film The Deer Hunter and Brian De Palma's effort fromearlier this year, Redacted, Stop Loss is the kind of war movie thatdiscusses war through its characters rather than the event itself.Negating Iraq to the opening ten minutes, Peirce and crew here adoptmore of a road movie layout, detailing the concept of beingStop-Lossed, and the effects it can have on any soldier unlucky enoughto be put through such a policy. On the run from his government,friends and fellow soldiers, lead character Brandon King (RyanPhillippe) spends much of the film coming to terms with how much of hislife that he left behind many years ago has disintegrated while he hasbeen away. Isolated and trying to find a way out of his predicament,King is an intriguing character who offers insight into the broken downpsyche of an ex-soldier and during certain scenes Phillippe conveyssuch emotions and states of mind adequately. In this regard King isrelatively close to DeNiro's 'Michael', and while Phillippe doesn'tnecessarily touch on what made Michael such a memorable character, thebare essentials are here and he does a decent job of what is offered tohim.
Not satisfied with telling just one story however, the script takes itstime to flesh out backing characters that grew up and served with King.These additions are welcome yet underused; there is a severe imbalancehere between the lead character and his friends, and while one canaccept this as part of having a 'lead-character', I couldn't help butnotice that Stop-Loss could have worked far more effectively as acharacter study focusing on more than its central persona. AlthoughKing's comrades do get ample screen time, their eventual climaxes andturning points fail to resonate as much as they should, and as aresult, the movie's statements and themes never deliver quite as muchpoignancy as they aim to. Yet again however, the performers themselvesdo a fine job with what they are given and deliver some sturdyperformances that mesh with Phillippe's to create a solid wall ofrealism to bounce off of.
The best war movies it would seem are those that never necessarily takeit upon themselves to overtly make statements on war regarding its prosand cons, and instead simply tell the story as it is. Whilst watchingStop-Loss, one gets the sense that director Kimberly Peirce has keptthis in mind during the process but then never quite managed toovercome the script's obvious slant towards criticism of the war. Yetif there is a bias here, it is remote and minute; not because thewriters chose to sit on the fence but simply through the fact that theytell a character story first and foremost rather than try to create apolitically enlightening piece of propaganda. Such is the film'sstrength and its weakness. On the one hand, the drama is welcome andthe performances involved ensure that the best moments are engaging andcompelling. On the other hand however, a distinct lack of focus in thisarea quickly causes the movie's middle act to tread along at an unevenpace which often stutters and fumbles. With a tighter reign on what itis the movie was trying to say, and a deeper, centralised focus oncharacter and the domestic drama involved with the politicalramifications that have got them here, Stop-Loss could have been a lotmore effective. Yet for what it is, those interested in the subjectitself should find something to enjoy here.
- A review by Jamie Robert Ward (http://www.invocus.net)
October 16th, 2008
Boys Don't Cry had been an excellent film because of its intensity,itsemotional impact and the extraordinary performances from Hilary Swankand Chloe Sevigny.So,because of that,I had high expectations forStop-Loss,the second work from director Kimberly Peirce after BoysDon't Cry.And,although it is a good film,I expected more from it.Let'ssee the fails first.I think the message from this movie does not feelcompletely honest.For example,the recent film In the Valley of Elahtransmitted the same message but in a more natural and credibleway.Also,this film felt a bit long and there are moments which couldhave easily been deleted,because they do not add too much to thestory.And,after Boys Don't Cry,I expected something more fromPeirce.Now,let's see the positive elements.Except for the moments Imentioned,I think this is an interesting movie.The performances arevery good.Ryan Phillipe is usually a bad actor but,in this movie and inBreach,he shows he can be a very competent actor when he works with thecorrect director.Pierce's direction is precise and it flows prettywell.Stop-Loss is a good movie but I think it could have been betterand it has extra minutes.Still,this movie deserves recommendationbecause,in spite of the fails,I think it's an interesting experience.
November 7th, 2008
I was a young adult during the Viet Nam era and by only a stroke offate was not submitted to that carnage. Of course, during the 1960's,there was a draft and every young man was subject to being sent off todie at the whim of government officials.
The trauma to the protagonist in Stop-Loss can be likened to that of ayoung man drafted into battle in Viet Nam. The difference is thiscontemporary tale relays that the young man in question, Brandon, hadvolunteered to serve in the military and completed a tour of duty inwar-torn Iraq with honors and along with his buddies with whom heenlisted arrives in his Texas hometown to a hero's welcome. He has hadenough of war and is elated to be able to return to his civilian lifeand put the horrors of war behind him.
Brandon then finds that he has been stop-lossed – the fate of someeighty-one thousand soldiers thus far during the past five years – andis ordered to return to battle in Iraq. He flies into a rage andverbally assaults his commanding officer. As a result, he is ordered tothe stockade until time to be redeployed. On his way to the stockade,he overpowers his guards, escapes, and goes AWOL.
Thus begins a quest to favorably resolve his situation by seeking outthe senator who has told the conquering hero that he is available forhelp and counsel. Through a twist of fate, he is aided in his flight bythe fiancé of his best friend with whom he had served in Iraq.
The young men depicted in Stop-Loss are surely not what one would callrefined. They hail from the lower class of a small, Texas town and -had they not enlisted – would probably have had some sort of dead-endjob. The armed forces offered them a profession and guidance.Unfortunately, it also offered death, horror, disfigurement, and posttraumatic stress. These men are lost in their former world and exhibitnegative reactions to it such as drunkenness, fighting, acts of civilviolence, and combative attitudes toward the women in their lives.These men have allowed their narrow-minded attitude of macho topractically destroy their lives. Add that macho attitude to theindescribable visions of war in their minds, and you have an explosivesituation.
The actors in this film perform an impressive job at giving the viewera believable look at these young men and women.
Ryan Phillippe as Brandon is a perfect as the former macho jerk who hasestablished himself as a leader who is maturing into a thinking,reasoning man.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt masters another edgy role as a man so dependentupon army life that he is unable to function as a civilian.
Channing Tatum is affecting in the role of Brandon's lifetime bestfriend who not only is suffering post traumatic stress but is unable tocome to terms with the actions of his buddy.
Victor Rasuk gives a heartbreaking performance as the lover boy of thegroup who is horribly disfigured and wounded in battle. His performanceis a tribute to all of the real soldiers who return from war and defeatseemingly insurmountable odds.
Abbie Cornish portrays Jeanie, an admirable woman who is the fiancé ofBrandon's best friend and his support during his flight. Cornish givesus a sexy woman who is tough and not about to be done in by fate andthe idiotic actions of the men in her life.
Needless-to-say, this film is a denunciation of the war and thestop-loss policy, but it is also a tribute to the young soldiers who gooff to Iraq thinking that they are doing something good for theircountry. It's a very good film with a big heart and worthy viewing forany citizen.
November 17th, 2008
Kimberly Peirce becomes one of the latest directors to try and onlymarginally succeed in making a compelling film about the Iraq conflict.
Peirce takes on as her subject the military's stop-loss clause,essentially a back door draft by which the military can use fine printin recruits' contracts to prevent them from getting out once their timeis up. Peirce obviously feels strongly about the policy, but whatshould be a hard-hitting drama feels instead like a rather preachyafter-school special. She coaxes a nice performance out of RyanPhillipe, as the soldier who goes AWOL when his stop-loss clause isactivated, but she doesn't fare as well with the rest of the cast. Thefilm suffers from confusing editing, that doesn't always make it clearwhere characters are or how events are related to one another, and thewriting at times is weak as well, with character motivations not comingacross as clearly as they should.
I don't know what it is about the Iraq conflict that makes it so hardfor filmmakers to make good movies about it. Maybe it will have to beover for a while before anyone can begin to approach it with anysuccess.
Grade: B-
November 19th, 2008
I think the movie started off well but then started to become verytedious and too long. Also the story was not developed well enough forRyan Philippe's character to suddenly rebel against the fact that hewas required to go back. Here is an all American hero, who voluntarilysigned up to serve , is a natural leader and all of a sudden throws afit because they asked him to go back?
Why? Because he saw one of his buddies get killed in a chase? Insteadhe goes off with his pal's girl, setting the stage for a number ofinfidelity scenes, which to the dismay of the male viewer never comesto fruition, and then in the most anti-climatic fashion he makes yetanother u-turn?
Like so many other Hollywood movies they could have easily made thismovie more plausible, but true to the commercial Hollywood spirit theychose to appeal to our primitive senses instead of our intellect.
How Sad.