Movies - Casualties of War

Home > Listing Index > Movies > Casualties of War

	Movies - Casualties of War

Casualties of War is a 1989 war movie about the Vietnam War, starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. It was directed by Brian De Palma, with a screenplay by David Rabe.

A squad of American soldiers loses one of its members in a village which is believed to be an ally to the Viet Cong. In retaliation, the squad kidnaps a Vietnamese girl (Thuy Thu Le) to be their sexual slave, much to the objection of one soldier (Michael J. Fox) who wants no part of it and tries vehemently to stand for the girl's rights. This is all quashed by the likes of the squad's psychopathic leader (Sean Penn), who frequently antagonizes the hero for his conscience. During a firefight, they viciously murder the girl to avoid being discovered by their superiors. After the battle, they cover up the murder but the soldier (Fox) refuses to let the secret die, and jeopardizes both his life and military career (thanks in large part to indifferent superiors who prefer to bury the matter) to expose the squad .

John C. Reilly and John Leguizamo co-star as members of the squad.

The film is about how normal moral behavior is discarded during war times and shows it in the extreme when soldiers become savages who can dehumanize innocent by-standers. The film is also about personal responsibility for maintaining that morality in extreme conditions.

The film was a departure for Fox who had worked with light-hearted comedy up until that point. It proved he was capable of handling 'heavy' dramatic roles.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Casualties of War ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article Casualties of War; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay