Post by Stu on Aug 8, 2005 15:18:28 GMT
Dir: Brian De Palma
Provocative, distressing, and audacious are just some of the key words, which spring to mind when you think of Brian De Palma’s ‘Casualties of War’. The first addition to the director’s impressive collection of achievements since 1987’s ‘The Untouchables’, 'Casualties' delivers with efficiency and purpose providing an insight to some of the inhumane acts, which apparently took place during the years of conflict in Vietnam.
Based on Journalist Daniel Lang's true story, which ran in ‘The New Yorker’ magazine in 1969, De Palma’s $22m war effort takes you away from the normality of combat to focus on a singular incident that captures deprivation and savageness in its worst forms.
Eriksson (Michael J Fox) arrives in Vietnam fresh faced and innocent. He joins up with an experienced unit who’s decorative and respected Sergeant Meserve (Sean Penn) is only one Tour of Duty away from going home. Unfortunately the months of combat and living conditions within the Asian jungles have driven Meserve to the point of apathetic irresponsibility.
On the eve of the unit’s final mission Meserve and his men are prevented from visiting a prostitute thus fuelling the uncontrollable Sergeant’s rage as he swears revenge. His unit, against the wishes of Eriksson, kidnap a young Vietnamese girl and take her with them on their mission to furnish their needs sexually as and when they call upon it.
Eriksson is outraged as the charismatic Meserve persuades the rest of the troop to take part in a gang rape. When the girl is killed Meserve suddenly realises that he now has another enemy to deal with, an enemy from within.
Your hatred for Meserve during this picture does nothing but emphasise the extreme talents of Sean Penn who has to be regarded as one of the finest actors in Hollywood over the last 20 years.
With a cast including John Leguizamo, Don Harvey and the brilliant John C. Reilly ‘Casualties’ helped draw attention to the other side of the war, the side you didn’t hear about on the news or read about in the papers. A side, which eradicates peoples usual conception of war.
Provocative, distressing, and audacious are just some of the key words, which spring to mind when you think of Brian De Palma’s ‘Casualties of War’. The first addition to the director’s impressive collection of achievements since 1987’s ‘The Untouchables’, 'Casualties' delivers with efficiency and purpose providing an insight to some of the inhumane acts, which apparently took place during the years of conflict in Vietnam.
Based on Journalist Daniel Lang's true story, which ran in ‘The New Yorker’ magazine in 1969, De Palma’s $22m war effort takes you away from the normality of combat to focus on a singular incident that captures deprivation and savageness in its worst forms.
Eriksson (Michael J Fox) arrives in Vietnam fresh faced and innocent. He joins up with an experienced unit who’s decorative and respected Sergeant Meserve (Sean Penn) is only one Tour of Duty away from going home. Unfortunately the months of combat and living conditions within the Asian jungles have driven Meserve to the point of apathetic irresponsibility.
On the eve of the unit’s final mission Meserve and his men are prevented from visiting a prostitute thus fuelling the uncontrollable Sergeant’s rage as he swears revenge. His unit, against the wishes of Eriksson, kidnap a young Vietnamese girl and take her with them on their mission to furnish their needs sexually as and when they call upon it.
Eriksson is outraged as the charismatic Meserve persuades the rest of the troop to take part in a gang rape. When the girl is killed Meserve suddenly realises that he now has another enemy to deal with, an enemy from within.
Your hatred for Meserve during this picture does nothing but emphasise the extreme talents of Sean Penn who has to be regarded as one of the finest actors in Hollywood over the last 20 years.
With a cast including John Leguizamo, Don Harvey and the brilliant John C. Reilly ‘Casualties’ helped draw attention to the other side of the war, the side you didn’t hear about on the news or read about in the papers. A side, which eradicates peoples usual conception of war.