Casualties of War
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| Casualties of War | |
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| Directed by | Brian De Palma |
| Produced by | Art Linson |
| Written by | Daniel Lang (novel), David Rabe (screenplay) |
| Starring | Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 18, 1989 |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $22,500,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
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.
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 by-standers, and also about personal responsibility for maintaining that morality in extreme conditions. The film was a departure for Fox who had worked with light-hearted comedy up until that point; it proved he was capable of handling 'heavy' dramatic roles. John C. Reilly and John Leguizamo co-starred.
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[edit] Story
A squad of American soldiers loses one of its members in a village in the Central Highlands which is believed to be an ally to the Viet Cong. In retaliation, the squad kidnaps a Vietnamese girl, Than Thi Oanh (Thuy Thu Le, Oanh in the film) to be their sexual slave, much to the objection of one soldier, Private First Class Sven Eriksson (Michael J. Fox) who wants no part of it. This is quashed by the likes of the squad's psychopathic leader, Sergeant Tony Meserve (Sean Penn), who frequently antagonizes the hero for his conscience. During a firefight, the troops viciously murder the girl to avoid being discovered by their superiors.
After the battle, 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. There is an investigation and the four men who participated in the rape and murder are court martialed and receive long sentences. Later, Sergeant Meserve and Corporal Clarke's sentences were reviewed and greatly reduced. Privates Hatcher and Diaz were retried and acquitted on appeal after it was determined that their Fifth Amendment rights were violated and their confessions were ruled as inadmissible.
[edit] Trivia
The bridge location was filmed in Kanchanaburi, Thailand. This was the same location where the famous Bridge over the River Kwai is located. Parts of the film were shot in Phuket.
[edit] Quotes
- "Girl-on-bus": "You had a bad dream didn't you?"
- "Erikkson": "Yes."
- "Girl-on-bus": "Its over now, I think. Chao ong." (last spoken lines of the movie)
[edit] External links
- Casualties of War at the Internet Movie Database
- Brian De Palma at the Internet Movie Database
- Casualties of Genre, Difference, and Vision: Casualties of War
- Casualties of war: history, realism, and the limits of exclusion
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