The long-absent director of Boys Don't Cry returns with her sophomore feature, an Iraq War drama. Ryan Phillipe plays a Texan who returns home from a terrible tour in Iraq to find that the Army has "stop-lossed" him, meaning they have re-recruited him, though he was supposed to get out of the service. He decides to run and try to fight it. Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play two of his buddies who fought beside him and also live in the same small town. Truth be told, I wanted to see this movie mostly for Gordon-Levitt, and he delivers the best performance in the film. Phillipe is good, too, but he does not affect a very good Texas accent, which gets annoying. The film is unfortunately created pretty much entirely from clichés. Think "redneck soldiers" and you can write a lot of the scenes yourself. Plenty of scenes where guys in cowboy hats and boots shoot at stuff with shotguns from the back of pickup trucks. And we get the old Vietnam vet cliché of the guys mistaking Texas reality for the horrors of war, complete with echoes of gunfire and helicopters in the background. It also suffers from MTV-style editing, and, in fact, it was produced by MTV, which is a difficult stigma to overcome. The opening sequence in Iraq, which haunts Phillipe for the rest of the film, is edited too much like an action sequence, in that it's meant to elicit feelings of excitement rather than horror. Peirce has said in interviews that she was influenced by the videos real soldiers were making in Iraq, and it's kind of unfair to dismiss this kind of film-making. These soldiers, after all, are certainly influenced by MTV themselves. Still, the MTV aesthetic always tends to make things seem plastic and distanced. It might be true that the soldiers' videos are a way for them to distance themselves from reality, although that's getting away from any subject the film itself wants to explore. But, even with the clichés and the bad film-making, the film ends up succeeding, at least a little. It brings to light the whole stop-loss issue, which is not discussed enough in the media (it is, as the film says, just a back-door draft), and it gets the audience to think about what is happening to soldiers and to empathize with them. I'm sure we all say we have great empathy for their situation, but, those who don't know anybody who is fighting this war don't ever have to deal with it on an emotional level. Even when we watch the news, we tend to engage with it in a more intellectual manner than we would with a story. And I think it is partly because most of us in the voting populace dealt with the Iraq War mostly on an intellectual level that we were never able to prevent it or bring it to a close.
The long-absent director of Boys Don't Cry returns with her sophomore feature, an Iraq War drama. Ryan Phillipe plays a Texan who returns home from a terrible tour in Iraq to find that the Army has "stop-lossed" him, meaning they have re-recruited him, though he was supposed to get out of the service. He decides to run and try to fight it. Channing Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt play two of his buddies who fought beside him and also live in the same small town. Truth be told, I wanted to see this movie mostly for Gordon-Levitt, and he delivers the best performance in the film. Phillipe is good, too, but he does not affect a very good Texas accent, which gets annoying. The film is unfortunately created pretty much entirely from clichés. Think "redneck soldiers" and you can write a lot of the scenes yourself. Plenty of scenes where guys in cowboy hats and boots shoot at stuff with shotguns from the back of pickup trucks. And we get the old Vietnam vet cliché of the guys mistaking Texas reality for the horrors of war, complete with echoes of gunfire and helicopters in the background. It also suffers from MTV-style editing, and, in fact, it was produced by MTV, which is a difficult stigma to overcome. The opening sequence in Iraq, which haunts Phillipe for the rest of the film, is edited too much like an action sequence, in that it's meant to elicit feelings of excitement rather than horror. Peirce has said in interviews that she was influenced by the videos real soldiers were making in Iraq, and it's kind of unfair to dismiss this kind of film-making. These soldiers, after all, are certainly influenced by MTV themselves. Still, the MTV aesthetic always tends to make things seem plastic and distanced. It might be true that the soldiers' videos are a way for them to distance themselves from reality, although that's getting away from any subject the film itself wants to explore. But, even with the clichés and the bad film-making, the film ends up succeeding, at least a little. It brings to light the whole stop-loss issue, which is not discussed enough in the media (it is, as the film says, just a back-door draft), and it gets the audience to think about what is happening to soldiers and to empathize with them. I'm sure we all say we have great empathy for their situation, but, those who don't know anybody who is fighting this war don't ever have to deal with it on an emotional level. Even when we watch the news, we tend to engage with it in a more intellectual manner than we would with a story. And I think it is partly because most of us in the voting populace dealt with the Iraq War mostly on an intellectual level that we were never able to prevent it or bring it to a close
Pretty interesting and had a great cast. It started out very strong but got kinda weak towards the end. There was so much drama. Well i am not sure whether to recommend it or not i mean i think the whole thing about how soldiers who were supposed to be getting out were being stop-loss because theres no draft i kinda think thats wrong and all but whatever. Cool movie.
After a year of crappy movies about Iraq lecturing us how bad war is, Stop-Loss ends up becoming the best of the Iraq films because it simply doesn't give a f*ck about the politics and instead focuses on the soldiers who are fighting this war. It's been 9 long years since Kimberly Peirce has made Boys Don't Cry but Stop-Loss is proof that she hasn't lost her edge, heart or focus she had since her first masterpiece. It's really an accomplishment and a tribute to how talented a filmmaker Pierce is. Without her this wouldn't have worked at all. It's her and her cast's passion and care for the subject that gives the film it's grieving heart. Ryan Phillippe finally escapes his pretty boy image and gives a performance of surprising power. Channing Tatum proves to be more then a pretty boy actor and shows that if he makes the right choices he can have a really great career. Though the best performance comes from Abbie Cornish and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Cornish delivers a breakout performance that doesn't provide a single bit of hollywood glitter and gives a complex performance that's rare in war movies for women. As for Gordon-Levitt? Wake the f*ck up, this guy is clearly one of the greatest actors of our generation and is perfectly cast here. His last scene in the film will stay with you for days. So is the film perfect? Not really. The film slips into melodrama a bit too much for my liking and there really isn't much of an ending to this film. (Though that kind of works cause it doesn't bother to provide a end to a war that doesn't seem to end soon.) Stop-Loss may not quite be the war masterpiece our generation need yet (Something tells me the film will age pretty well.) But with Stop-Loss and Boys Don't Cry Peirce has proven herself to be one of the bravest filmmakers right now. (Ironic how one of the few working female filmmakers in Hollywood is also one of the ballsiest huh?)
After a horrible tour of duty, Brandon, (Ryan Phillippe) is happy to be a civilian again, but upon learning he is ordered to return to duty in Iraq he goes AWOL. This movie points out the tragic psychological effects combat has on people, but also the importance of friendship and how tough it is to make important decisions. Great performances by a stellar cast.
STOP LOSS is a film covering important themes. Is it a great film? ... unfortunately, no, its not. But it is certainly the best film I've seen so far this year. This is talented director Kimberly Peirce's first film since her groundbreaking debut with BOYS DON?T CRY. She also co-wrote and co-produced ... so this is really her vision, and it is stunningly executed. Some sequences require suspension of belief and border on melodrama, however, overall, this is powerful and mostly realistic filmmaking. The film's trailer does not convey the actual story you eventually see. Indeed, as often happens, many shots in the trailer are not in the film. An attractive cast delivers convincing performances, especially Channing Tatum, Victor Rasuk, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Timothy Olyphant, Ciaran Hinds, Alex Frost and Abbie Cornish (allegedly the cause of the Phillippe/Witherspoon divorce). But it is the film's lead, Ryan Phillippe, who really shines in what is arguably the best performance of his career. Also of note are the terrific cinematography of Chris Menges and the music score ... both the original music by John Powell and the song score selected by Jim Dunbar. As a combat veteran a lot of this film rang true for me. A thoroughly entertaining film ... go see it.
they cut alot out of this movie. A few scenes in which i was in and some other ones I know where filmed. It made me really look at army solders a bit different. Really shows you what it can do to a person or persons.
a wondeful flim that will not just intertan but will also make u feel some thing wheather u agree or disagree with what happens. i can't imagen anyone say o it was ok. the act was great. the writing and diracting could have been a bit better but I'm still say it a great movie that people should go out and see.
Directed by Kimberly Peirce
Cast: Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ciarán Hinds, Linda Emond, Alex Frost, Timothy Olyphant, Rob Brown, Victor Rasuk, Mamie Gummer, Josef Sommer, Mark Richard, Laurie Metcalf, Steven Strait.
2008 ? 115 minutes
Rated: (for graphic violence and pervasive language).
Reviewed by Dustin Putman, March 26, 2008.
It has been almost nine years since Kimberly Peirce's breakthrough directorial debut, "Boys Don't Cry," and it has taken just as many years for her to make another film. "Stop-Loss" marks her sophomore slump. This necessarily cynical and downbeat drama, the umpteenth tale revolving around the Iraq War in the last couple years, gets points for showing the alternate point-of-view of soldiers returning home from their tour of duty and struggling to readjust to their old lives. Writer-director Peirce and co-screenwriter Mark Richard are tough in their exploration of this topic, but they also are set adrift by a story that wanders around for too long and ultimately doesn't go anywhere of note.
Having experienced the hells of war firsthand, soldiers Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe), Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum) and Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) arrive back in their small Texas town to much support and fanfare. Having completed their stints in Iraq, they looks forward to moving on with their lives. Instead, Sgt. Brandon King is understandably angered and defiant when he learns he has been stop-lossed and is expected to return for another tour of duty in a matter of weeks. Believing this to be a gross injustice, he and Steve's fiancée Michelle (Abbie Cornish) go on the run, headed for Washington, D.C., where Brandon foolishly hopes to meet with a senator and be pardoned. As Brandon's options narrow?he can either return to Iraq as assigned or flee permanently to Canada or Mexico?he must begrudgingly face the reality that, whatever choice he makes, he risks losing his life to a war he no longer believes in.
"Stop-Loss" opens with stark sequences of combat that paint a none too pretty picture of what our soldiers currently face in Iraq day in and day out. Moving the setting back to American soil by the fifteen-minute mark, the film properly acquaints Brandon, Steve and Tommy to the viewer and makes it almost instantly known that none of them are going to find an easy road back to the lives they once knew. As Tommy turns to the bottle, is kicked out by wife Jeanie (Mamie Gummer), and finally finds himself facing time for a DUI, Steve discovers that his place in the military is the only one that makes sense for him. Brandon, despite suffering guilt over the deaths he caused of innocent bystanders, seems to be the most well-adjusted and eager to put the war behind him. Being forced to go back to it just as he expects to be discharged is something he sees as a blatant betrayal, and for good reason.
As "Stop-Loss" turns into something of a road movie, it starts to meander and lose its way. Temporary conflicts, such as a violent run-in Brandon has with a trio of thieves, come off as strained and too on-the-nose, serving to depict Brandon's haunted state-of-mind in contrived ways. His relationship with Michelle, which one supposes is meant to build romantic tension, remains platonic, and nothing ever comes of it. The same goes for Brandon's options, limited though they may be. Back home, Tommy's self-destructive behavior leads to a plot point that is telegraphed far in advance. The film is dramatically potent in spurts, developing a clear picture of the staggering effects that war has not only on the troops who fight in them, but on their families and loved ones. At the same time, director Kimberly Peirce is unable to reach a conclusion that isn't foregone. Perhaps that's the sad and pitiable truth that she wishes to bring to light, but the same basic material has already been cinematically traveled for the past six or seven decades, going as far back as 1946's Oscar-winning "The Best Years of Our Lives."
There was a time when Ryan Phillippe's (2006's "Flags of Our Fathers") career lurked in the shadows of that of his now-ex-wife Reese Witherspoon, but he has arguably been making smarter and more interesting choices in recent years. Phillippe, despite never seeming to age?is he always going to look like he's twenty-five??has shaped himself from a pretty-boy flavor of the month into a markedly gifted actor with range and charisma. In the lead role of Sgt. Brandon King, Phillippe adopts a thick southern accent that, for the most part, works, and lends his part a lot of weight without aiming for overwrought mannerisms and theatrics. Measured, cooled, and yet brimming beneath the surface with fear and uncertainty, Phillippe delivers an excellent performance.
As Steve and Tommy, who are battling their own personal sets of demons, Channing Tatum (2006's "She's the Man") and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (2007's "The Lookout") are equally adept with less screen time and more basic character arcs. Though the film is never quite sure what to do with her, the beautiful and soulful Abbie Cornish (2006's "A Good Year") frequently stands out as Michelle, who sees the life she has envisioned for herself and Steve uncontrollably slipping away from her.
"Stop-Loss" is one-sided in its view of timely subject matter, and it proudly makes no excuses for it. As a director, Kimberly Peirce is confident in the points she wants to make, but less so in bringing them to fruition. 2007's "In the Valley of Elah" posed many of the same ideas and covered much of the same ground, but was more focused and cutting in its arguments. Acted with aplomb and occasionally compelling, "Stop-Loss" nevertheless fails to impress. It's just the latest sincere entry in a long line of motion pictures about the Iraq War, and it fails to carve out a memorable spot for itself within this subgenre.
OMG this is like the best movie I have seen in '08, loved every minute of it. It's good to have you back Ryan. I wish CT would have ahad a TX accent though. Who grows up in TX with no accent?
what a punk. i was on stop-loss & was separated from my husband for 6 months. you are still obligated to the military a few years even after u get out, depends on the needs of the military. and not everyone gets it.
I want to see it but I'm concerned about how it will affect me. I'm already still reeling from watching "The Mist" the other day. I'm getting so caught up in movies lately. I'm not sure this will be good for me.
This movie is a film that every young person should see it's truly groundbreaking and definitely will make you think about how your living your life and how every day young American bretheren are losing their lives defending the social liberties so that people can enjoy the principles of basic freedom, yeah we can talk about how were fighting a war we shouldnt be fighting but Stop Loss shows that while were fighting we need to appreciate the young soldiers risking their lives to protect something.
i want to see this movie so bad. i lovew everything that has to do with the army and it also had channign tatum and ryan phillipe and they are so hot i cant wait to see this
This is a bullshit movie. Motherfucker in this movie don't understand their vow they made to the military. Fuck this movie. I support my Brothers in Iraq!!!!
CastStop Loss Actors & Cast
Ryan Phillippe Abbie Cornish Channing Tatum Joseph Gordon-Levitt Ciarán Hinds Timothy Olyphant Victor Rasuk Rob Brown (VI)
Plot: Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. Brandon tries to resume the life he left behind with the help and support of...( read more ) his family and his best friend, Steve Shriver, who served with him in Iraq. Alongside their war-time buddies, Brandon and Steve try to make peace with civilian life. Then, against Brandon?s will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq. This upends Brandon?s entire world. The conflict into which he is thrown tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love, and the value of honor.
Directed by: Kimberly Peirce
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