Strong performances from the young cast make a compelling case that the US govt is failing its soldiers, but the film’s a little too much of a blunt instrument.
Comment
04/25/08
Stop-Loss (2008)
64
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:138
Fresh:89
Rotten:49
Average Rating:6.3/10
Consensus: Stop-Loss is sincere and complex, and features strong performances, even if it tries to cover too much ground.
Theatrical Release:25-04-2008
Synopsis: Director Kimberly Peirce (BOYS DON'T CRY) tackles another controversial topic with STOP-LOSS, the story of a U.S. soldier forced back into battle. Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) has just returned to... [More]
Starring: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Director: Kimberly Peirce
Reviews for Stop-Loss
Top CriticDistancing Stop-Loss from other Iraq films by highlighting an American military tactic that has been little talked about, Peirce has crafted a credible but hardly outstanding effort that may disappoint those expecting another Boys Don't Cry.
04/25/08
Top CriticStop Loss takes some time out from the argument over the validity of the war to ask a question closer to home - whether the emotional battlefield America subjects its young soldiers to is actually worth it.
04/25/08
Top CriticKimberly Peirce's long-awaited follow-up to Boys Don't Cry is a thought-provoking, emotionally engaging drama that packs a surprisingly powerful punch.
04/24/08
It’s the film equivalent of a weary shrug – capturing the national mood at a moment when we’d all prefer some mood enhancers.
04/25/08
Top CriticIn some ways, there is a grim, accidental timeliness in the release of Stop-Loss, which focuses on the ordeal of American soldiers in and out of combat.
03/27/08
Top CriticBut whatever you think about the Iraq war and the people who are fighting in it, you'll be shaken up and moved by Stop-Loss.
05/01/08
Stop-Loss misses emotional beats and hammers home its frustration; yet in a week where we've lost our 4,000th soldier, its impatience is a virtue.
03/31/08
Following the harrowing and superbly made opening sequences of hand to hand combat in Iraq, we can feel the frustrations and the anger through the film, and we sympathise. But the film has a confused message ...
08/04/08
If Gordon-Levitt (who's delivered stellar performances in Mysterious Skin and The Lookout) had been moved up from his supporting role to the lead, the film would improve considerably.
03/28/08
Rather than dwell with a bunch of debating politicians, Peirce explores the serious psychological issues that many soldiers have upon return from any war.
03/28/08
The movie's ending will not satisfy everyone, but it does avoid typical Hollywood conventions. Whether it is the correct finale is something you will have to search your own heart to answer.
04/01/08
While it would be premature to decorate it as the Best Years of Our Lives or Coming Home of the Surge, Stop-Loss carries the emotional force and propulsive drama of the quintessential soldier's story.
03/28/08
Graceful, intelligent and respectful of the complex feelings generated by war.
03/28/08
Stop-Loss, a harrowing, emotional indictment of a war that has divided this country like no conflict since Vietnam, delves into what happens when the country doesn't do as well by its soldiers as they do by it.
03/28/08
Maddening, upsetting, and articulate, it's a film that dares to address a malicious tentacle of Government expediency connected to a much larger monster.
03/21/08
The story steers away from clichés and political polemics, maintaining a tone of unflinching emotional realism.
03/28/08
In Rico especially, and in Brandon's confrontations with his own delusions, the movie focuses on the unhealthy rituals of manhood and male community encouraged by the military
03/28/08
If the details of the story are a tad melodramatic, the overall circumstances are all too painfully real.
03/27/08
Stop-Loss is not a great movie, but it’s forceful, effective, and alive, with the raw, mixed-up emotions produced by an endless war -- a time when the patriotism of military families is in danger of being exploited beyond endurance.
03/31/08
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