Casualties Of War - 89 dir: Brian De Palma

One of De Palma's best, one of the best cinematic takes on the conflict in Vietnam, and a harrowing portrayal of an extremely disturbing "true" incident that involved 5 US soldiers serving in Vietnam in 1966. It is difficult to watch this film without feeling uncomfortable and distressed. The disgust and anger I feel at the actions of these soldiers, all bar one—played with maximum appeal by Michael J. Fox—makes for an entirely disturbing, but also moving experience. Fox is the heart and soul of the film and anchors it without resorting to any manipulative histrionics or undulated mannerisms. He is just a little guy with a charismatic and soft kind face, yet he makes the most of his role and is very believable. He gave a comedic Oscar worthy turn in Back To The Future - 85' and here he turns in a dramatic one. There is apparently an extended edition of this film with two extra scenes of Fox being interrogated by agents and lawyers which I would like to see. 

Sean Penn and his cohorts are loathsome, but within the context and theme of the film, not to mention the backdrop of the amoral mess these soldiers were forced into, they were also casualties of this dirty, unethical and insidious conflict. How can something appear so wrong, when rightness is literally absent? As in all war, it becomes about a game of survival, not so much about fighting the "purported" enemy. The enemy rage is the instigator of this film's scenario, yet for what reason are the VC really the enemy?

In her only film, Thy Thu Le is absolutely heartbreaking. She doesn't speak a word of English and her performance as the kidnapped, tortured and raped young Vietnamese girl seems to transcend generic and traditional screen acting. This is almost the real thing we are witnessing and what a brave and courageous rendition she illustrates. She is absolutely devastating.

De Palma fully understands the visual medium of cinema and it is to his credit also, that he shows restraint and knows what to show and what to hold back on. The film is moderately graphic and even if MPAA rating issues at the time were a reason as to what can be shown, the less is more approach works exceptionally well here, both in the combat and sexually violent sequences. We see what needs to be seen and he is also a master of building tension which is the gripping part of this films presentation. Even with Oanh, when any sense of hope or reason is all but relinquished and all that she is left clinging onto is sheer futile desperation when closure is nothing but imminent, (also depicted earlier involving Brownie's fate and even the distressed fish out of water cherry later on in the film) De Palma shocks us, without slamming us. He also had a visually stunning backdrop for a canvas with which to paint his fine honed technical skills on as a director. 

The film was a fizzer box office wise and I'd say much of that was due to the subject matter. It is a shame, because I find it one of the best releases of 89' and the Vietnam themed film that got most of the hype was Oliver Stone's Born On The Fourth Of July - 89' with Tom Cruise. I don't find Stone's film quite has the same emotional impact, or is as compelling, regardless of the austere and well-meaning approach. It's a bit bombastic.  

For those interested, here is some more detail about the charges and outcomes of the convicted soldiers involved:

Incident On Hill 192