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Movies / On DVD / Casualties of War
Casualties of War

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Casualties of War (1989)

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Reviews Counted:28

Fresh:24

Rotten:4

Average Rating:7.2/10

Runtime: 2 hrs

Genre: Action/Adventure

Synopsis: A young soldier arrives in Vietnam and is assigned to a unit of men who have been in the jungle for many months. Their sergeant has only one more mission to complete before he can go home, and... A young soldier arrives in Vietnam and is assigned to a unit of men who have been in the jungle for many months. Their sergeant has only one more mission to complete before he can go home, and though he has been a successful soldier, he has lost his will to fight or to care for his troop. When soldiers on duty prevent the sergeant from going to a nearby town to visit a prostitute on the night before his last mission, the enraged sergeant tells his unit that he will seek revenge. He concocts a plan where his troop will accompany him to the village, kidnap a woman and force her to come with them on the mission in order to furnish the group sexually. The newest soldier in the troop does not want to go along with the plan, but the sergeant's charisma convinces the rest of the men. When they eventually reach the village, the young man again protests, which fuels the sergeant's rage, and prompts him to initiate a brutal gang rape and murder of a young village woman. The film then moves to events after the troop's return from Vietnam, where the young soldier has decided to have his unit court martialled. [More]

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn, John Leguizamo, Ving Rhames

Starring: Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn, John Leguizamo, Ving Rhames, John C. Reilly, Don Harvey, Dale Dye, Jack Gwaltney, Thuy Thy Le

Director: Brian De Palma

Director: Brian De Palma
Screenwriter: David Rabe
Composer: Ennio Morricone

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Casualties of War

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a fat glop of obvious screen manipulation that preserves a frightening human core, making the life and death struggle all the more shocking.

Full Review Source: BrianOrndorf.com | comment Comment
08/26/09
Brian Orndorf
Brian Orndorf
BrianOrndorf.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
03/14/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

De Palma uses his consummate filmmaking skill to craft a reflection of his own grave sorrow about the Vietnam era.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
09/06/06
Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine

Fox is quite touching here, topped only by Sean Penn in a superb, frightening performance.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
08/28/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Disturbing anti-war film with strong Sean Penn and surprisingly effective Michael J. Fox.

comment Comment
06/08/06
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Dispatch-Tribune Newspapers

ably demonstrates just how powerful a well-crafted film can be

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
03/04/06
Don Willmott
Don Willmott
Filmcritic.com

A tour-de-force for De Palma, Penn and Fox - possibly one of the best war movies ever made

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
02/25/06
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Film Threat

No review available.

comment Comment
07/18/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
05/16/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
04/26/05
Jonathan R. Perry
Jonathan R. Perry
Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

Worthwhile drama set in the Vietnam War

comment Comment
12/17/04
Daniel Eagan
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International

Harrowing drama with strong performances

comment Comment
10/07/04
James Sanford
James Sanford
Kalamazoo Gazette

No review available.

comment Comment
12/18/03
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Examines the dehumanizing effects of war, and implies that the soldiers who commit the atrocities are as much a victim of that dehumanization as the girl who they victimize

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
03/19/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
11/12/02
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
Showbizz.net

Superb, overlooked Vietnam drama may be Brian DePalma's finest hour.

Full Review Source: Netflix | comment Comment
11/07/02
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Netflix
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Latest News for Casualties of War

November 15, 2007: Brian De Palma on Redacted: The RT Interview
Brian De Palma fans beware: his most recent film will make you think that the veteran director has -- to borrow a line from "Full Metal Jacket" -- been "born again hard." More...

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