phd_travel Kudos to Brian de Palma for making this brave movie. There aren't many movies that show war crimes by U.S. soldiers. Most Vietnam war movies focus on the impact of the war on the U.S. soldiers. The effect on civilians in Vietnam is often too painful and unpopular to deal with. It is a movie that shows Vietnam as tragedy for everyone involved not just the combatants. The true story of the rape and murder of a Vietnamese farm girl and it's exposure by a soldier who refused to take part is shown in a straightforward and unflinchingly direct way. The rape and murder itself is beyond heartbreaking. Yet the story isn't one sided. It shows the perpetrators being in such a horrid situation that allowed something like this to happen. The movie shows the difficulties and consequences of being a whistle blower - how relevant today.Michael J Fox gives a very moving and sympathetic performance showing he is a fine dramatic actor. My initial misgivings of him as being mainly a comedic actor were quickly dispelled. Sean Penn gives a totally believable performance as the idiotic sergeant in charge. The Vietnamese actress Thuy Thu Le's performance is so good that it's almost too painful to watch.This movie isn't as famous as it should be and deserves a place among the most powerful and well acted war movies of all time.

Leofwine_draca 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.

namashi_1 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.

markymark70 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.