User reviews

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.

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.

CASUALTIES OF WAR

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: 6-track Dolby Stereo

(35mm and 70mm release prints)

During a routine field trip at the height of the Vietnam War, a young soldier (Michael J. Fox) rebels against his commanding officer (Sean Penn) and other members of his patrol when they kidnap a defenceless Vietnamese girl (Thuy Thu Le) and subject her to a terrifying physical ordeal.

Unfairly overshadowed by the simultaneous theatrical release of Oliver Stone's pompous - but still impressive - BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989), Brian DePalma's CASUALTIES OF WAR recreates a harrowing incident from the Vietnam conflict - first reported in 'New Yorker' magazine in 1969 - in which a group of otherwise decent men succumbed to their own worst impulses and committed a terrible crime. Filmed with typical cinematic bravado by master craftsman DePalma, the movie uses every inch of the scope frame to convey both the duality of the landscape (vast swathes of breathtaking countryside, where sudden death lurks around every corner) and the moral vacuum which stretches the two central characters (Fox and Penn) to breaking point. Crafted with blistering simplicity by screenwriter David Rabe (himself a Vietnam veteran and author of the acclaimed stageplay 'Streamers'), the soldiers are depicted as brave individuals whose principles are shattered by their traumatic combat experiences, leaving Fox to essay the role of peacemaker in a world where all the rules have been turned upside down. Thuy - a model with no prior acting experience - is truly heartbreaking as the soldiers' terrified prisoner, and her ultimate fate is so horrific (arguably the most disturbing set-piece of this director's entire career), many viewers will be too appalled to see the film through to its inevitable conclusion. All in all, this uncompromising drama emerges as one of DePalma's strongest films to date.

I want to say Scarface, The Untouchables and Casualties of War are Brian De Palma's best films, because they are his most serious in subject matter. But the truth is that his best work is in films like Sisters, Snake Eyes, Femme Fatale, The Black Dahlia. It is one thing to make a hyperstylized erotic thriller, because there doesn't have to be anything sincere about the film. But he brings the same sort of stiffly disassociated acting, point-of-view-shot set pieces, stock characters and melodramatically contrived dialogue to the story of a platoon in the Vietnam War and the rape to which they subjected a village girl. The movie's structure is not so much about the act as about the climate building to it, the dehumanizing authenticity of battle, the way it advocates brute force and rejects those who would try to live by a superior gauge.

The pivotal sequence of the kidnapping, the march, captivity and gang rape of the girl is excruciating because it makes it so distinct how ineffectual Michael J. Fox's character's ethical fundamentals are in the face of a weapon cask. The other men either never had any issues about what they are doing, or have lost them in the bastardizing course of combat. They will do just what they want to do, and Fox is basically impotent to stop them. Based on actual events, this film makes it apparent that when a group histrionic of this kind is astir, there maybe is veritably nothing that a "good" person can do to save the day. And its analysis of the actualities of the scenario is what's best about the movie.

What is not so good are the scenes before and after the compelling pivotal subject. The movie begins and ends some time after the war, with Fox on a subway, where he sees an Asian woman who reminds him of the victim. The dialogue he has with this woman in the movie's last scene is so bound and stilted and tries so hard to manufacture a buoyant denouement into a grim movie, that it's as if it belongs in another movie.

Defiant encounters with two commanding officers, Dale Dye (what a shock...) and Ving Rhames, are persuasive, but then the result appears half-baked and almost annexed. More than most films, mostly on account of the vital element of peer pressure, it relies on the potency of its performances for its impact, particularly on Penn's performance, but no one is a real character; everyone is an over-the-top caricature. Penn, with unmistakable conviction and enthusiasm in spite of the cartoonishness, is the bombastic leader of the bullies; John C. Reilly makes his movie debut here as the eager, dim-witted follower; Don Harvey is the sadistic right-hand enforcer for Penn; John Leguizamo is the quiet, sheepish guy who's not as bad but has no backbone. Although Penn's self-dramatizing comes from his deep sense of integrity to the frugal standards of De Palma's style, it seems that Fox is the only player whose capacity to turn ideas into realities and translate experience into words is not affected by the affectedness. Perhaps he's perfect for a De Palma leading man, as he does away with the frivolous.

Objectivity is not De Palma's strong suit, which I don't necessarily see as a flaw: Who's truly objective, really? But maybe the movie would have been more impactful if it had just preserved the account as realistically as possible, devoid of De Palma's idiosyncratic artifice, his perfectionism too private and defensively preoccupied. That much would have included everything necessary that the movie has to show us.

Although Platoon may have gotten more acclaim, by far the best film on the Vietnam War is this one. Casualties Of War is going to leave Platoon way in the dust when history has its verdict.

Though Sean Penn's got several great films to his credit, by far this is the best work of Michael J. Fox on the big screen. His soldier with a conscious who can't live with himself after witnessing an act of barbarity that the other men of his squad commit should have brought him an Oscar nomination. In fact there could have and should have been a few of them for this film.

Fox plays a young soldier only a few weeks in Vietnam. On patrol Sergeant Sean Penn saves his life, but then on a second patrol because Penn and friends could not get leave to bleed the lizard as they say, they kidnap a young Vietnamese woman and take her on patrol. All the men on the patrol, Penn, Don Harvey, John C. Reilly, and John Leguizamo all gang rape the girl, but Fox refuses. Later on he's got a crisis of conscience.

Kids who grew up on World War II movies and westerns with clearly defined good and bad guys were ill prepared for a war in Vietnam. So was our government which had been involved in more or less degree since the end of World War II and the breakup of French Indochina. The subtleties of the regional politics eluded our policy makers in Washington. It was mighty hard to tell who was a friend and who was an enemy. You treated anyone with a yellowish pigmentation and slanted eyes as an enemy, the only friends you knew were the ones wearing the same green jungle fatigues as you were.

The war twisted Penn and Harvey. Leguizamo and Reilly were essentially followers, only Fox who hadn't been there long enough to have his sense of morality impaired could see this was all wrong. That's the frightening part of Casualties Of War. None of the four could see anything wrong, even Leguizamo who sees his first duty as to stick with the guys who have your back in the field.

As good as Fox and Penn and the rest of the Occidental cast is, the best performance in the film is Thuy Thu Lee. As the bewildered and frightened young girl she will positively break your heart with her one and only film performance.

Casualties Of War was shot in Thailand so we're seeing actual Southeast Asia locations. Brian DePalma's direction of his stellar cast is right on target. Don't ever miss Casualties Of War about the ultimate Vietnam experience.

Director Brian De Palma once again walks the thin line. He creates a war drama that gets darker as it sinks into depravity. During the war in Vietnam; a squad of five men kidnap a young girl from her village, rape and kill her. One of the men, played by Michael J. Fox, does not take part, thus bucking his fearless squad leader, played by Sean Penn.

This will leave you frustrated, disappointed and ashamed that this sort of thing was considered by some as just another part of war. Fox seems like a fish out of water; but he conveys all that is right in this film. Penn actually turns in one of his best screen performances, even if at times he over acts.

Others in the cast are John Leguizamo, Ving Rhames, Don Harvey and Thuy Thu Le.

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.

"Casualties of War" is based on a horrifying true accident which took place in 1966.Some American soldiers abducted a teen-age Vietnamese girl and dragged her on a long-range reconnaissance mission.They tortured,raped and finally murdered her.Michael J.Fox is excellent as a the only soldier in the platoon who tries to stop the violent crime.Thuy Thu Le is also impressive as the victim-her performance is so convincing that I'm surprised that she hasn't appeared in the other movies.The rape/murder scene is among the most heart-breaking sequences ever captured on screen.The film is well-directed by Brian De Palma("Sisters","Carrie","Dressed to Kill")and it delivers the message which tells the viewer that war is hell and can turn young men into monsters.A must-see for fans of disturbing and thought-provoking cinema.

Brian De Palma's Casualties of War is one-part Vietnam commentary, one-part moral dilemma. The film manages to illustrate the horrors of war with some visceral visual effects, and the same time also pose the crucial question; how would you react in the situation in which Eriksson finds himself? The setting largely plays second fiddle to the moral question posed - this is not a film about the politics of the Vietnam War - and it is around this that much of the film is centred. The isolated environment of a long-distance mission in a small squad raises, and accentuates, the issues of peer pressure and moral-abandonment perfectly. This is undoubtedly the film's strongest point and greatest message.

Surprisingly, i found some of the performances and dialogue a little disappointing. The character of Sgt. Tony Meserve, played by Sean Penn, was particularly bemusing. Clearly intending to portray a kind of brilliant but sociopathic soldier, he came across more handicapped half-wit and it truly stretched my limits of believability to convince me that this man was put in charge of an infantry unit. A very disjointed performance by Penn indeed. Michael J Fox's character Eriksson, suffered a little from the sometimes overly-sentimental script which at times seemed thoroughly incongruous with the sobering environment and moody score. It's harsh to typecast Fox, but his virtues-of-steel persona didn't come off too well for me and i couldn't help but see his usual, jovial self lurking just beneath the facade.

A heavy, but watchable war movie, handled with skill by De Palma but with a flawed screenplay and some lacklustre performances.

6/10.

`Casualties of War' belongs to the same year as that other anti-war film `Born on the Fourth of July'. From about the mid-eighties American feeling rose bitterly against the aftermath of the Viet Nam war: the price had been too high. Too many young men killed or wounded and, worse perhaps, too many young men psychologically scarred for the rest of their lives. `Casualties of War' does not point any accusing fingers at anyone: the film is an anguishing account of a horrendous series of actions based on real facts. Even so, our interpretation must go a little beyond what the film tells us, what we are seeing. We must ask how many more service-men lost their nerve in the middle of that jungle inferno which was Viet Nam?

Brian de Palma obliges us to enter into that indescribable hell, so that we might, with a bit of luck, if our feelings can bear the torture of witnessing such inhumane irrationality, understand a little more the agonising palpable naked terror which so many men had to go through.

However, whether Michael J. Fox or whether Sean Penn played their part better seems to overlook an obviety: without that performance by the Vietnamese girl, Thuy Thu Le, this film would have been forgotten years ago. My first seeing of that fragile creature – some years ago – left me nauseated, my stomache churned and I had bad dreams for several nights. That pathetic little face and her screams of anguish haunted me for days afterwards. Her performance was so compelling, rivetting, anguishing, it had me hating being a man. I only just stopped short of throwing up. Perhaps nobody expresses this better than `Tony's Corner: a Fan's Notes' (www.colba.net):

<< the performance of a young actress, a woman named Thuy Thu Le. It is to my mind, one of the bravest, most courageous, and one of the most heartbreakingly real pieces of acting that I've ever seen………… the intolerable suffering that Thuy's character Oahn endures, her emotional intensity………... searing power, of blistering emotion, and raging despair, the outstanding performance of Thuy Thu Le is central to it's success >> (end partial quote)

Amen.

It is one of those performances that no Oscar can ever pay for: indeed such a triviality would have been an insult. The film is cruel, sickening, loathsome, heartbreaking; but something humane, something I can't explain, something deep inside me, compelled me to see this poor `wretch' again, compelled me to witness once again her tremendous scream of despair against the bestial inhumanity of war – any, every and all war. I have no love of morbidity: I shun such ridiculous programmes. But this poor creature called Thuy Thu Le forced me to see the film for a second time.

Enough: I will never see this film again. I have seen naked desperation and fear so realistic that my soul seethes to boiling point and is about to burst thus twice. That will do. In the end we are all casualties of war.....

No vote: I cannot reduce this to a simple vote. It just would not have any real meaning, would it?

I think this film tries too hard not to leave audience down, so Fox is made too innocent simply by being so isolated, and the ending a bit forced. It'd be much more impactful if reality were portrayed. I don't want to give a history lesson, but only one incident, the infamous My Lai, brought a trial (basically a village was savaged and massacred). And when the American public learned about it, they were furious - at the sight of our boys on trial. So despite the military looking likely to mete out punishments, Nixon applied pressure and everyone was let go. If this film took on that reality, it'd be a more hard-hitting film.

Casualties of War is a film set in the Vietnam War. As such, I was afraid it would be redundant to watch after recently watching both "Platoon" and "Hamburger Hill". In some ways, I was correct - the same themes are here about Americans terrorizing the Vietnamese and teamwork failing under pressure. But there is a difference. Back to that in a moment.

This film has Michael J. Fox as a college-educated soldier in a team full of heartless, hardened soldiers. Many scenes are similar to "Platoon", where Charlie Sheen entered the war with no experience in combat. Another parallel is with "Full Metal Jacket", even using the whole rifle/gun dichotomy... in reverse.

But where this film is different is that it does not show bits and pieces of mistreatment: it focuses on the mistreatment of one Vietnamese woman and carries it for over an hour. You never have time to escape the brutal reality of rape and torture that this film shows you. If the point was to humanize foreign peoples (in times of war or otherwise) it succeeded. This is not your "family film"...

Sean Penn is also decent as the commanding officer, a psychotic madman. He is quite believable as a controlling sadist. However, I found Penn's acting to be a bit over the top sometimes and his non-stop mumbling was very annoying for me (is that how Penn talks, or is he obsessed with playing characters who don't know how to articulate?). All in all, this film was better than I expected and not just another war movie. Also, Michael J. Fox is really short. He must be like 5'2"... Recommended.

Coppola, Stone and Cimino did their best, but the award for best Vietnam movie goes to Brian De Palma. One of the only directors working today who still knows the meaning of 'cinema', De Palma uses all his favorite techniques (the long shots, split-focus)without being intrusive. There are so many fantastic moments in this film, so many images that stay in your mind long after the credits rolled by. Who could forget the death of the girl on that railwaybridge? It's truly one of the most chilling images I've ever seen on screen, also thanks to the haunting score by Ennio Morricone.

The acting is fantastic. Sean Penn makes it very easy for you to hate him, John Leguizamo as the pathetic Diaz hits all the right notes, John C. Reilly is wonderful as always. And then there's Michael J. Fox, in a rare dramatic role. As Ericcson, he's the beating heart of this film, the only human creature on screen. His attempts to save the girl are heartbreaking and deeply tragic.

It's a mystery why this movie doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Maybe the Americans don't like the way some of their countrymen are portrayed here. Maybe the idea of Marty McFly as G.I. Joe turns some people off. The IMDb rating this movie gets is a joke, albeit not a very funny one. This is one of Brian De Palmas finest movies (it's so hard to choose a favorite he has made so many classics), the best war movie I've ever seen and one of the greatest American movies ever.

You simply HAVE to see this!

A vietnam war morality play about army private Fox in the bush who refuses to let his fellow soldiers and commanding sergeant skirt responsability for the kidnap of a native woman. A great movie with thought-provoking and thoughtful message that finds its niche in the hurly-burly desperation of jungle warfare. A peculiar and brooding approach of the Vietnam drama , dealing with the kidnap of a local girl : Thuy Thu Le, by four US servicemen : Sean Penn, Don Harvey, John C. Reilly , John Leguizamo, while a fifth stood helplessly by , seems unimpeachable, its heart undoubtedly in the right place . Some Soldiers take things too far !. Inspired by a true event, that the army never saw it coming !. Even in war... murder is murder !.

A very strong and tough Vietnam war film made by expert Brian De Palma who has directed his film in the form of Patrol Drama , a formula much beloved by filmmakers of Hollywood , War and western movies , and revived successfully by this great director based on the true story by Daniel Lang . A complex view of the Vietnam war is provided in all terrible , bloody and violent detail . Blundering and interesting Vietnam war film that follows in the wake of ¨Oliver Stone's Platoon¨, the latter pre-dating the flood of the eighties and early nineties . It describes a pretty crude portrayal of America's thunderous days in Vietnam . Stars a realist and misfit squad of soldiers , including dialog plenty of profanities , bad taste , sexual remarks and lots of violence . Bloody final reflects the bitterness and disillusion felt by most Americans about Vietnam war . Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox are uncommonly well cast as the brutish sergeant who leads the rape and Michael J. Fox as the conscience-stricken soldier , both of them do the characters impassionate justice . Michael J. Fox achieves his dramatic breakthrough , he is the central figure in this exciting story through whose shell-shocked eyes we watch the violent events , slaughters , crossfires and atrocities . Although the ending , striving to satisfy its audience , is far too pat. Support cast is frankly excellent , as you will spot stars and prestigious secondaries in waiting , such as : Vig Rhames, Don Harvey , John C. Reilly , John Leguizamo , Wendell Pierce , Sam Robards , Dale Dye , among others.

It contains colorful and evocative cinematography by Stephen Burum . Perceptible , sensitive musical score by always magnificent Ennio Morricone . Very good and graphically violent direction from Brian De Palma who based the movie on facts , giving a sour description about Vietnam war , a brutal vision of the conflict , but in many places the drama suffers from directorial overkill . Being a highly considered film ; that's why it is deemed by many to be one of the most realistic and violent portrayal of the war on movie . ¨Casualties of War¨along with ¨The Last Hunter¨, ¨Go Tell the Spartans¨, ¨Platoon leader¨ and especially ¨Platoon¨ by Oliver Stone who witnessed first hand , ¨Born on the fourth of July¨ , ¨Heaven and Earth¨ forming a group of Vietnam films that flooded the screens in the Seventies , Eighties and Nineties . Rating : 7.5/10 . Better than average . Worthwhile watching . The flick will appeal to Sean Penn and Michael J. Fox fans.

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.

Firstly, don't watch this movie expecting an all-out war movie. The film is a character study of soldiers during a war, and the crimes they commit simply because they believe they have the means and power to do so. In the midst of all this, is one soldier (Michael J Fox) who still believes in morals during war.

Thuy Thu Le was incredible as the kidnapped villager. Sean Penn was excellent as the antagonist and Michael J Fox equally good as the protagonist. The film is an emotional journey of torture, rape and humiliation. I couldn't help but wonder how many times this possibly happened during wars over the years. The film is as effective in stirring emotion as it is in still believing in the good in people.

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+

Max Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) is a Vietnam vet haunted by an incident during the war. Sgt. Tony Meserve (Sean Penn) leads a squad of five soldiers. He's hard-nosed and then his longtime friend gets hit. Eriksson is still considered cherry. PFC Diaz (John Leguizamo) is the new replacement. Along with Cpl. Clark (Don Harvey) and PFC Hatcher (John C. Reilly), the group kidnaps a village girl and rapes her.

I have some problems with the realism of the look. It's the way director Brian De Palma shoots some of the action. At least twice, he uses the background to show action while in the foreground a character looks forward. It's a very manufactured look and takes away from the realism that this movie desperately needs. MJF does the ethical naive jittery newbie but something about him strikes me unrealistic. He's not up to the drama. It's not gritty enough. I feel it would be more intense if he kept more quiet. The character needs to have some more internal conflict. On the other, Sean Penn nails it as the disturbed leader of the squad. But that just emphasized the lack of drama acting coming from MJF.