Stop-Loss (Paramount Pictures)
One View of the War
Kimberly Peirce, who directed Hillary Swank to Oscar glory in Boys Dont Cry, has co-written, co-produced and directed a new film. It is titled Stop-Loss and it probably wont make anyones awards list next year. The movie is an anti-war polemic that incorporates poorly defined characters into a mish mash of a story. Ryan Phillippe escapes unscathed with his lead performance but the rest of the cast goes down in flames.
Phillippe plays Brandon King, an Army sergeant from Texas. He and his best friend from childhood, Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum), have seen duty in Iraq together and are now headed home to separate form the service. Also with them is another buddy, Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). He has returned from Iraq with a drinking problem and some additional emotional baggage.
Complicating things is the presence of Michelle (Abbie Cornish) who is Steves girlfriend, but she also seems to have eyes for Brandon who has been her friend for years. She practically grew up at his house. She and Steve are supposed to be getting married but he keeps postponing the date.
When Brandon reports to be processed out he is told he is stop-loss which means his tour in the Army has been involuntarily extended. He decides to do everything he can to fight this and make it not happen. His family is supportive of whatever he wants to do, and Michelle is there offering her support too.
The movie sends mixed messages. On one hand it says the war in Iraq is unjust and unsupportable. We see the anger and frustration of the troops as well as the horrendous wounds the war has inflicted, but then we are also aware that there is no draft and so all these people involved did join the military voluntarily.
Plus the ending of the movie is just that, an ending. There is no final resolution. It just stops and that is the movies loss.
Phillippe is very charismatic as Brandon. His performance dominates the film. Brandon is also the best draw character in the movie. If you understand anyones motivation it is Brandons. Cornish on the other hand is ordinary in her role. Michelle is a part Charlize Theron could have made into something outstanding. Cornish looks a little like Theron but doesnt have her talent.
Tatum is strangely bland as Steve. In other roles he has shown amazing potential as a leading man, but in this movie he just doesnt have any power or presence. Gordon-Levitt makes a stab at bringing Tommy to life but the way the role is written is just too oblique and confusing.
The movie is rated R for profanity and violence.
There is a lot of talent involved in Stop-Loss but it doesnt pay off. If Peirce and company had tried to present a more balanced view of the war and the people involved, it might have had a real impact.
I scored Stop-Loss a warring 4 out of 10.
