Casualties of War (1989)

Who payed the critics

A Major Disappointment

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Just yesterday morning, AMC (that's American Movie Classics) ran an infomercial offering "more sex, less stress." That was followed by two Three Stooges shorts, then a heavily redacted version of CASUALTIES OF WAR. I'd seen the movie way back when, but I'd dismissed it as just another of Brian DePalmer's overblown would-be epics (like the vastly overrated SCARFACE, which features Al Pacino's worst-ever over-the-top performance). Because I'm not a video gamer, I have no idea if the first-person shooter games, set in a variety of war zones, feature any of the more True-to-Life perks that actual War provides- perks like Rape and Indiscriminate Murder. Certainly any video game set during The Vietnam War would have to feature such bonuses. As Nick Turse points out in his exhaustive study of The American War, KILL ANYTHING THAT MOVES, "atrocities were committed by members of EVERY infantry, cavalry and airborne division... That is, every major army unit in Vietnam." "Soldiers realized that small groups of civilians could be killed with impunity and logged as enemy war dead..." One medical officer listed a civilian's cause of death as "running from U.$. forces." And it was none other than Douglas MacArthur who set the tone for the war by telling General William Westmoreland: "You might have to employ a scorched earth policy in Vietnam." The U.$. released 30 BILLION pounds of munitions in Vietnam (and by the early 70s, there were 20 million bomb craters) and 70 Million liters of herbal agents- most notably Agent orange (which Turse refers to rightly as "ECOCIDE"). This was the equivalent of 640 Hiroshima bombs... "Detained civilians and captured guerrillas were often used as human mine detectors and regularly died in the process." The Biggest crime of all, called Operation Speedy Express, was, according to concerned soldier George Lewis, "... a My Lai each month for over a year." The International Commission of Enquiry Into U.$. Crimes in Indochina concluded: "... The main burden of responsibility must lie with those who have been making this policy." Said Kissinger: "Once we've broken the war in Vietnam, no one will give a damn about war crimes." As Huynh Thi Nay (whose son was murdered) said when she spoke about it: "It became dark as night." Maybe gamers could get extra points for Civilian deaths- or bonus points for Rape (unless they get caught, which might entail a loss of turn or something)...

This time around, here's a Vietnam pic of a different sort. Shockingly based on a real incident, revenge hungry soldier (Penn) and his squad kidnap a young female villager, and subject her to a brutal rape, then a shocking execution, that pangs a memory when I think about it visually. In my opinion all voluntary participants, should of faced a firing squad. The only one truly against is Fox, miscast as a nicey nicey soldier, we can see why he was chosen. This rape part of the film is very hard to watch, and will easily offend some, more so if have being raped in real life. It's up to Fox, who unthankfully was rescued by Penn, much earlier, when caught in a pickle, to make things right, and he does, going up against his squad, reporting the crime. Even though Penn does overact some, he's character great here, as Seargeant Meserve, a man of frightening intensity and remorselessness, as if he's lost complete touch with humanity, much like a machine, while too, we have John C Reilly and John Leguizamo, before they were known, playing two reluctant GI'S, forced participants in the rape. Even though Fox, does get on your goat a bit, you do admire his mettle and defiance, when doing the right thing, and getting none too thanks for it, brazenly telling his uncompassionate corporal (Dale Dye, from platoon) to go to hell. The same goes for another corporal type (Ving Rhames) delivering a monologue, concerning an incident from the old days, this matter of plain cold murder, just something to brush under the carpet, was something I must say, I found truly angering. The violence is quite rough too, like one vet, a backward sort, hitting a booby trap. Fox's slightly drunken confession I found quite moving though. Of course, the catalyst, for Penn's vent of revenge, culminating in that innocent, unwarranted killing, was his close squad mate, buying it early in the flick. The music is soothingly beautiful, I must say. I really didn't think, Casualties Of War had a plot, as I just wrote it off, as a just another Vietnam, no plot flick, but this is a film that should be seen, life from the other side of Vietnam, a despicable and unforgivable act, where really with the exception of Fox, and those two others mentioned who got appropriate sentences, Penn, and his inhuman psycho, hate filled mate, who I found detestable (the Stephen Baldwin lookalike guy) should of just of fried. What was odd, which didn't make Fox convincing was at the start and the end (the same scene, a nice touch) while having bad recollections on the bus, of those days gone by, it's hard to believe he looked like something who'd been in Vietnam. But for most part as a Vietnam Vet, Fox is embarrassingly unconvincing. Otherwise this Vietmam pic, is a recommended view.

Brian De Palma directed this powerful story that stars Michael J. Fox as Eriksson, one of a five-man unit during the Vietnam war that sees events turn sour, since his unit sees much action, in which he believes civilians were wrongfully killed, but later things take an even more evil turn when the group's "leader" Sgt. Meserve(played by Sean Penn) orders the abduction of a young Vietnamese girl for a group rape. Absolutely appalled, Eriksson refuses to participate, though the only thing he could of done to stop it was shoot them, something he found himself unable to do. After the girl dies, Eriksson reports the incident to the authorities, who eventually charge the men, but Eriksson still finds himself an outcast. Heartbreaking film with excellent performances, though is certainly not easy to watch. Eriksson sums up the situation perfectly when he says "We're supposed to be helping these people..."

Casualties Of War dramatises a single event from the Vietnam war, where a squad of US soldiers abduct a Vietnamese girl and take her with them on patrol for the purposes of "recreation," raping and eventually killing her. Sean Penn is the leader of the squad and Michael J Fox plays the only member who consistently speaks out against their actions and tries to help the girl, eventually becoming the lone voice which tries to get justice for her.It has been some years since I last watched this film, but simply recalling it for the purpose of writing these words chokes me up: the events of the first part of the film are profoundly disturbing and utterly heartbreaking, and credit to Thuy Thu Le, in her only film role, for portraying victim Oanh with such power and dignity.But credit must also go to Penn for his angry sergeant, shaken free from any moral compass he may once have had, and especially to Fox: his principled everyman shows that he was never the lightweight that his succession of light roles may have suggested.And credit, too, to director Brian De Palma - for once not trying to emulate Hitchcock, he has here produced an accomplished and moving drama which poses profound moral issues and leaves you wondering whether you would have had the courage to make a moral stand.