Sadly Over-hyped

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

one of the most simple. because it escapes from the frame of historical context. because it is one of question films. and the answer is far to be real easy. sure, all is remarkable. Rachel performances,each detail of story, each step of a witness for who the war is not excuse for everything . and this does "Casualties of war" a must see. for define the near world challenger. for define the importance of the other. so, a great film. for a lot of motives.

I am not usually a fan of War films, but this is not a typical War film.It's not a grand-scale action movie with big battle scenes. It's a low-key Vietnam War drama about the kidnapping, rape, and murder of a Vietnamese girl at the hands of a group of US soldiers.The film focuses on Michael J.Fox who plays Erikkson,a naïve soldier who has only been in Vietnam for three weeks. His Sergeant is played by Sean Penn,a tough,efficient soldier who is just about hanging onto his sanity amongst the chaos and destruction that's going on around him.Whilst relaxing in a village,Meserve's closest friend,and radio operator,Brownie,is shot,and later dies. This is the point where Merserve starts to lose it. And when he and the rest of his men are refused entry into a brothel,he decides to kidnap a local village girl and use her as their sex slave.Brian De Palma proves again what a masterful filmmaker he is,in scene after scene,shot after shot. The film is grim,and disturbing in many parts,but his style and cinematography is so good, it's difficult to look away from. This was a film that he'd been wanting to make for years,and you can tell when you watch the film that he was passionate about it,and wasn't just interested in showing sex,or violence for the sake of exploitation,or just to shock,which he has been accused of sometimes.For instance the rape sequence is brilliantly filmed. It goes without saying that rape scenes are always uncomfortable to watch, but the rape scene here is surprisingly the least graphic I've seen from a visual point of view. There's hardly any nudity,and there's no close-ups of the sex act. However, emotionally it is one of the most disturbing. Partly because there's such a long build up to it. As soon as the girl has been kidnapped, we know what her fate is going to be. Partly because it's a group of soldiers that are committing the act on her, and partly because De Palma films it in a way that puts the audience in Erikkson's place. While the rape goes on,he is helplessly on look out duty, and it's filmed from his point of view as he watches the soldiers from a distance in the hut, taking it in turns with the girl. We feel what Eriksson feels, horrified and angry. It's a disturbing yet stunning piece of filmmaking and Ennio Morricone's haunting music makes it even more effective. We don't see Erikkson again until the moment when Meserve approaches him,and then we finally get a close-up of his face. This is the moment where Erikkson has become demoralised.His face speaks volumes about what he's seen. The moment where the girl is killed is equally unsettling. Again, De Palma avoids sensational violence and shows the girl been stabbed in the distance behind Erikkson as he is taking out the Vietcong with his rifle and doesn't even notice what is going on behind him. The close-up of the girl been shot dead is shocking and filmed again from Erikkson's point of view, as he witnesses this tragedy whilst trying to prevent her death.The third and final section of the film focuses on Erikkson's attempts to bring his comrades to justice. This was a part of the film that I felt lacked something in the theatrical version but now thanks to the extended cut, I think it's just as powerful as the events leading up to it. There's only 6 minutes of extra footage but it adds to it. There's a scene where Erikkson is interrogated by two Military agents that was missing before. It's a great scene because it now explains how the investigation began after Erikkson's Captain and Lieutenant tried to dismiss it. Again, De Palma films the interview well with one long tracking shot.And the courtroom scene is brilliant too. While each of the four guilty soldiers are been prosecuted,we are not shown anybody else in the room,we just see each of the soldiers and hear the voices of the lawyers. It's also one of the most shocking moments because it's the moment when these criminals are shown in all their glory. Obviously you never forget that they are soldiers during the events leading up to their trial, but all through the kidnapping they are rough and dirty unshaven.Here they are clean and shaved, dressed in their formal uniform and wearing their medals but it doesn't change the fact that they are rapists and murderers. The extra scene here shows Erikkson been cross-examined. It further drives home the point that even though Erikkson didn't take part in the incident, he failed to save her, and he feels as guilty as if he did take part in it and it will ultimately haunt him for the rest of his life.Michael J.fox doesn't belong in a serious War film but he's perfectly cast here. His youthful looks work for the part of the innocent, naive young soldier ,and his short stature works for the "ordinary,everyday man" caught up in an unthinkable situation. His acting his outstanding throughout. He does have a few bits of clunky dialogue,but it's not his fault,it's the writer David Rabe who actually served in Vietnam, trying to get some moral points across. Fox handles it well. But it's mainly his subtlety I was impressed with throughout. His expressions speak volumes. I've never been a fan of Sean Penn. I've always found him to be an overrated,scenery-chewing actor and I still feel he's the same here. But I think it kind of works this time because of the extremes of the situation his character is in.This is a thought-provoking, powerful piece of cinema that shows the best and worst traits of human behaviour. It's a difficult film to watch at times but I've seen it many times because of the performances and film-making. It's a masterpiece.

Based on the actual events of the incident on Hill 192 in 1966 during the Vietnam War, 'Casualties of War', directed by legendary filmmaker Brian De Palma, is An Effective Film, that talks about Human-Cruelty & Violence. De Palma handles this unsettling & disturbing fare with ruthlessness, making it an experience to remember.'Casualties of War' Synopsis: During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.'Casualties of War' is disturbing, unsettling & yet effective. Based on a true horrifying event, the film comes across as uninhibited & Extremely bear.De Palma's Direction, as mentioned, is ruthless, like the story itself. David Rabe's Screenplay talks about Human-Cruelty & it very efficiently narrates that. Cinematography & Editing, are mention-worthy.Performance-Wise: Michael J. Fox delivers a believable performance, that ranks amongst his finest works to date. Sean Penn is mesmerizing as the bad-guy, causing hate each time he appears on-screen. John C. Reilly, John Leguizamo & Don Harvey, are terrific. Thuy Thu Le as the frightened victim, delivers a haunting performance, that's impossible to forget. Ving Rhames is good in a brief role.On the whole, 'Casualties of War' is worth a watch, but its certainly NOT meant for the faint-hearted.

I like war films when done well. Platoon was fantastic and I'm gonna put Casualties of War right up there with that multi-Oscar winner. That may sound a little haughty from me – but this film is deserving of such an accolade. The story is harrowing, the material itself shocking at times – but the overall result is a masterpiece.I won't go into the plot details here in this review as it has been well covered at this stage but I will go into certain specific elements of the movie.Acting: Fox is fantastic here – never better. Fox is a good actor anyway, we all know that, but I feel he does not get the credit he deserves sometimes. To some he will always be Marty McFly from the BTTF movies (to be honest he will be to me too) but he really puts in a great shift in this flick. His naturalistic, everyman style makes you want to root for him no matter what. He carries the film in my view as the only true upstanding character in the army who sticks by his beliefs no matter what. Actually – the fact that this incident took place in the Vietnam war is a side issue if you ask me – it could have happened anywhere at any time. It is truly about humanity's morality as opposed to being about a war or those who took part in it. But for me – Fox is terrific.Penn is brilliant too. An angry, tobacco chewing 20-year old Sarge – dumped in a world of pain and suffering. You can see his motivations and where the frustrations have caused him to carry out the horrible act in the film. Penn is another brilliant actor in my view – in so far as whenever I see him, I believe he 'is' the character and not just 'acting' as that character. Here is the ultimate proof of his abilities. Some reviewers say that he 'overacts' a little here – but to me it is simply his intensity.The girl who plays the rape victim - Thuy Thu Le - is also terrific. A true testament of finding a talent out there without a background of acting who can turn in a performance amongst the best that Hollywood can offer. It's such a pity that this film was her one and only performance.The rest of the cast varies a little. Erik King as Brownie hams it up a little in a couple of scenes (just look at his facial expressions as the unit walks into a Vietnamese village for pure contortion) but does well in others (when he gets shot). Don Harvey as Clark is a parody of a evil persona within the movie – an OTT performance. John C Reilly is okay. Ving Rhames is okay. Leguizamo is good as the conflicted Diaz. Dale Dye is terrific – intense and totally believable, his one-on-one with Fox superb.Cinematography: De Palma's style runs through this movie like a river. He is a genius. The angles he uses (Fox's chat with Dye), the foreground/background shots (When Fox is traumatized from Brownie's shooting in the foreground and the background shows the villagers helping the VC soldier to escape), the courtroom scene (where we see the accused soldiers one by one and only ever hear the prosecutor), the long tracking shots (Basecamp Wolf) and the superb Leone-like close ups (Fox in the rain) are all beautiful. And there is so much more also – VC tunnels, burned out fields, the kidnapping itself, another background/foreground shot when the girl is stabbed – that are used to tremendous effect. The brutal nature of the story and the action is still magnificently displayed through a masterclass of cinema-making techniques from a truly gifted director.The screenplay, music, production values are all top notch and the story rattles along at a nice pace. This is a movie in which anyone who was remotely involved in it could be extremely proud. Well done all.9/10 – I deducted the point for the sometimes ropy acting of some of the periphery characters and for one emotional speech from Fox which was simply too preachy and overlong.