Casualties of War

Infobox Film
name = Casualties of War


caption = Theatrical Poster
writer = Story:
Daniel Lang
Screenplay:
David Rabe
starring = Michael J. Fox
Sean Penn
director = Brian De Palma
producer = Art Linson
cinematography = Stephen H. Burum
editing = Bill Pankow
music = Ennio Morricone
distributor = Columbia Pictures
released = August 18, 1989
runtime = 113 minutes
country = United States
language = English
budget = $22,500,000
amg_id = 1:8580
imdb_id = 0097027

"Casualties of War" is a 1989 war drama about the Vietnam War, starring Michael J. Fox and Sean Penn. It was directed by Brian De Palma, with a screenplay by David Rabe based on actual events that took place in 1966. An article written by Daniel Lang was the movie's primary source. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097027/ "Casualties of War"] at the Internet Movie Database.]

The theme of "Casualties of War" is how normal moral behavior is discarded during war times and shows it in the extreme when soldiers become savages who can dehumanize innocent bystanders, and also about personal responsibility for maintaining that morality in extreme conditions.

This film was Fox's second major dramatic role. A year earlier he had starred in the drama "Bright Lights, Big City". John C. Reilly and John Leguizamo make their screen debuts in the film.

Taglines:
*"Even if these four guys get convicted they won’t do any real time."
*"Even in war... murder is murder."

Plot

The story is presented as a flashback of a Vietnam veteran.

A squad of American soldiers is taking a well-earned break outside a river village in the Central Highlands in November, 1966. While relaxing and joking around, one of the squad members, Corporal Brown (a.k.a. "Brownie") is shot in the neck by Viet Cong across the river. The squad kills several enemies until they realize there's a Viet Cong running through a flooded field behind them. He throws a grenade. Eriksson panics but in a miraculous shot blows up the grenade with his M-79 grenade launcher before it lands close to him. Brownie is then evacuated but dies in the hospital.

The unit is then re-deployed to a nearby village, which is believed to be an ally to the Viet Cong. Because of their reassignment, the unit has their leave time is cut short. Frustrated because his squad has been denied leave for an extended period, Meserve orders the squad to kidnap a Vietnamese girl, Than Thi Oanh (Thuy Thu Le) to be their sex slave. Pfc. Max Eriksson (Michael J. Fox), who strenuously objects. His opinions put him on the bad side of Sergeant Tony Meserve (Sean Penn), who is antagonistic towards Eriksson because of his qualms of conscience. The girl is forcibly taken to the squad's next command outpost and is repeatedly beaten and raped by all the men except for Eriksson, who is ostracized. Oanh grows ill and develops a persistent cough.

The squad is later ordered to take up a position near a railroad bridge overlooking a Viet Cong river supply depot. Meserve and Clarke realize Oanh's coughing might give them away. Meserve has Private Diaz order air support for an assault on the depot. Then he orders Eriksson to kill Oanh. Eriksson staunchly refuses despite Sergeant Meserve's death threats. It seems no one is willing to kill her. To his horror, Corporal Clarke looks out in the sky and sees a unit of Huey helicopters passing a mountain and then turning towards their position. Fearing the helicopters will somehow see their rape victim, Sergeant Meserve flat out orders Private Diaz to kill Oanh. But before Diaz can kill her, Eriksson fires his M-16 rifle into the air exposing them to the nearby Viet Cong.

As the battle rages, Eriksson who is carefully picking off Viet Cong hiding behind a supply sampan on the river bank, doesn't realize that Corporal Clarke has stabbed Oanh twice with his knife. Things become desperate when the Viet Cong move mortars up to the river and begin lobbing shells onto the bridge trapping the squad. Fortunately, Sergeant Meserve is able to kill many enemies with his M-60 machine gun. But the situation gets worse when Oanh who wasn't killed by Corporal Clarke, walks onto the bridge to try to escape. Eriksson tries to catch her but is hit in the stomach by Sergeant Meserve using his M-60. Completely winded and hurt, Eriksson watches helplessly as the squad shoots Oahn numerous times until she falls off the bridge, dead at last. Then the UH-1 Iroquois helicopters (Hueys) Corporal Clarke originally spotted, strafe the supply depot with missiles blowing it up but accidentally setting a passing U.S. Navy PBR on fire killing all the crewmen. The squad had killed the girl so as not to risk getting caught by their superiors. After the battle, Eriksson wakes up in a hospital having been "wounded." They cover up the murder but Eriksson refuses to let the secret die. He jeopardizes both his life and military career (thanks in large part to indifferent superiors who prefer to bury the matter) to expose the crime. Eventually, there is an investigation and the four men who participated in the rape and murder are court martialed and receive long sentences. Sergeant Meserve received ten years hard labor and a dishonorable discharge. Corporal Thomas E. Clarke (Don Harvey) was sentenced to life in prison. Private Herbert Hatcher (John C. Reilly) received 15 years hard labor. Private Antonio Diaz (John Leguizamo) received 8 years hard labor. Privates Hatcher and Diaz were later retried and acquitted on appeal after it was determined that their Fifth Amendment rights were violated and their confessions were ruled as inadmissible.

At the end of the movie, Max wakes up from the flashback he was having of the entire incident only to find himself on a bus just a few feet from a Vietnamese American student (also played by Thuy Thu Le) who resembles the kidnapped girl. She leaves the bus to go to school and forgets her scarf, with Max running after her to return it. They have a brief chat where she notices something is troubling him, and he explains that she reminds him of someone. They go their separate ways as the movie ends.

Cast and ratings

Infobox movie certificates
Australia = M
Finland = K-16
France = -12
Germany = 16
Iceland = 16
Norway = 15
Philippines = PG-13
Singapore = NC-16
Sweden = 15
United_Kingdom = 18
United_States = R
* Michael J. Fox as Pfc. Max Eriksson
* Sean Penn as Sgt. Tony Meserve
* Don Harvey as Cpl. Thomas E. Clark
* John C. Reilly as Pfc. Herbert Hatcher
* John Leguizamo as Pfc. Antonio Diaz
* Thuy Thu Le as Thị Oanh Thân / Girl on train
* Erik King as Cpl. "Brownie" Brown
* Jack Gwaltney as Pfc. Rowan
* Ving Rhames as Lt. Reilly
* Dan Martin as Hawthorne
* Dale Dye as Capt. Hill

Locations

* The bridge location was filmed in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. This was the same location where the famous Bridge on the River Kwai is located.

Awards

Wins
* Political Film Society: PFS Award; Peace; 1990.

Nominations
* Golden Globes: Golden Globe; Best Original Score - Motion Picture Ennio Morricone; 1990.
* Motion Picture Sound Editors: Golden Reel Award; Best Sound Editing - Sound Effects; Maurice Schell; 1990.

References

External links

* [http://www.24liesasecond.com/site2/index.php?page=2&task=index_onearticle.php&Column_Id=43 Casualties of Genre, Difference, and Vision: Casualties of War]
* [http://www.observergroup.net/ob95back/stories.htm Murder in a Combat Zone]