Stop-Loss Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
Decorated Iraq war hero Sgt. Brandon King makes a celebrated return to his small Texas hometown following his tour of duty. He tries to resume the life he left behind. Then, against Brandon's will, the Army orders him back to duty in Iraq, which upends his world. The conflict tests everything he believes in: the bond of family, the loyalty of friendship, the limits of love and the value of honor.
| Ryan Phillippe | SSgt. Brandon King |
| Joseph Gordon-Levitt | Tommy Burgess |
| Rob Brown | Isaac 'Eyeball' Butler |
| Channing Tatum | Steve Shriver |
| Victor Rasuk | Rico Rodriguez |
| Terry Quay | Al 'Preacher' Colson |
| Matthew Scott Wilcox | Harvey |
| Connett Brewer | Curtis |
| Timothy Olyphant | Lt. Col. Boot Miller |
| Josef Sommer | Senator Orton Worrell |
| Ciarán Hinds | Roy King |
| Alex Frost | Shorty Shriver |
| Isreal Saldivar | Augustin |
| David Kroll | Pastor |
| Ricky Calmbach | Himself |
6.40 out of 10 (1997 votes)
Visitor Reviews
The worst post Iraq/Afghanistan war movie made to date
posted on 17 Aug 2009As a former soldier and Iraq and Afghanistan wars veteran. Who was affected by stop loss. This is by far the worst post Iraq/Afghanistan war movie ever made. They had the wrong defenition of the meaning of the term stop loss. They should have gotten input from real soldiers before they made this movie. This movie sucks, is the bottom line.
Check your politics at the door and enjoy the performance
posted on 09 Aug 2009The film has an anti-war message and it appears to me that most reviewers seem to love it or hate it depending on whether they agree with that message. Try to put your politics aside and just appreciate this film as a first-rate piece of cinematic art with powerful performances by the entire cast. There is not one weak performance. I also urge those who are obsessed with military technical accuracy to put their quibbles aside. I was a cold-war era anti-submarine warrior and I can't watch "The Hunt for Red October" without being mildly annoyed by some technical inaccuracies, but it's still one of my favorite films.
A Great Film! Too bad that this story is the reality for a lot of people.
posted on 04 Aug 2009I had an opportunity to attend an advanced screening of this film yesterday in Boulder CO. I am not in any way affiliated with film industry or the critique. I was just a lucky walk in.I've seen a preview of this movie a few days before and was not impressed by the trailer. It looked like another belated anti-war movie (better late then never), with youthful actors looking ruggedly pretty for the camera.What I saw was a fist full of reality mixed with a great story of, I guess, a youth becoming a man – not in a sexual way.The plot is obvious from the trailer, so there is nothing I can give away. The ending was not surprising, at least to me. And the ending was both obvious and powerful.The beginning is very life like. If you've seen Gunner Palace, or been to this war, you'll recognize it. It starts in a format of home movies made by soldiers who serve in Iraq. It was apparently based on the films and photographs shot by actual soldiers. Some of this footage was included into these opening sequences, much was recreated by the actors. So it is ultra realistic. The only way to tell them apart is to look for Ryan Philippe, who is good in his role but stands out due to being easily recognizable.The film quickly moves into a war sequence, demonstrating the horrors of war. Do not expect to see the charge of the light brigade. It is not a massive battle, but you will see the bullets flying, and more importantly killing. If you were put off by the violence in Saving Private Ryan, you may want to close your eyes for a few minutes at this point. Past the gun battle we are back in the States. So the Iraq part is only about 20 minutes.The real story kicks in when Ryan Philippe with his war buddies returns home a decorated war hero looking forward to put the past behind him only to find out that his contract was extended by the Stop Loss policy and he is to go back to Iraq. The film does not become boring or preachy. And through the main character's journey both we and he realize that he has very few options: go to jail, abandon (physically) the country and everything he is and has, or go back to war. What choice can he make? So what was my point about the "becoming a man" story? Well, the way I see it, the main character's final decision, is not just forced on him. It springs not from fear or just inevitability, but from his sense of responsibility towards his parents and friends – I'm not going to say 'country', this has nothing to do with flag waving patriotism. His accepting to go back, is an act of an adult. He accepts all the horror, the risk, the BS, the unfairness. He does it through a conscious decision. The decision is to take care of those who depend on him. That sounds pretty grown up to me.Thanks go out to Kimberly Peirce, who wrote and directed this film. And directly in front of whom I was sitting quietly last night while she was presenting her movie.You also may want to check out Harsh Times, Gunner Palace and The Execution of Private Slovik.
Kimberly Peirce and I Look Out Tonight from Desolation Row
posted on 29 Jul 2009After serving a particularly brutal tour in Iraq, SSgt. Ryan Phillippe (as Brandon King) returns to his Texas town. An honorary parade welcomes Mr. Phillippe. Bathed in red, white, and blue, Phillippe collects both a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. After the big parade, Phillippe celebrates civilian life with two also-returning Army buddies, model Channing Tatum (as Steve Shriver) and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (as Tommy Burgess). Coming home proves difficult for Mr. Tatum and Mr. Gordon-Levitt, who drink excessively and abuse their mates; they are likely experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.Phillippe falls into his leadership position, and helps his pals adjust. Then, just before his official discharge, Phillippe is ordered back to Iraq, thanks to a (then) largely unknown Army contract clause known as "Stop-Loss". Assisted by soldier Tatum's beautiful fiancée, Abbie Cornish (as Michelle), Phillippe takes off for Washington, DC, to ask for a politician's help. Of course, there is no possibility of reversal - Phillippe must either be jailed as AWOL, or return to active duty.Director Kimberly Peirce, who last scored with "Boys Don't Cry" (1999), really should be working more often. "Stop-Loss" is an excellent film, with extraordinary photography (Chris Menges), lighting, locations, and performances. The documentary-style "hand-held camera" technique is overused; but, there is enough stillness when dramatically required. The politics of "Stop-Loss" is told from the soldier protagonist's point-of-view; whether you agree or not, it is a feeling widely held, and deserved to be told.Although the film is ostensibly about Iraq, and includes a convincing sequence in the war-torn country, the real surprise is how the filmmakers' portray the American landscape. You see rural and urban gunplay, highways and byways, dark alleys, cheap diners, and seedy motels. The early patriotic parade and a later funeral are beautifully shot, with the United States flag extraordinarily photographed. "Stop-Loss" is really "Desolation Row" - it is not about Iraq; rather, it is about the United States of America, during a bleak, hopeless period.********* Stop-Loss (3/13/08) Kimberly Peirce ~ Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Well Done!!
posted on 28 Jul 2009There are films that make you feel you wasted your time, films you leave in the middle of or at the beginning because of the lack of content, this is NOT one of them. This film will get GREAT reviews or it will get bad ones from those that would once again vote for the guy with "W" as a middle name. You will love it or hate it; there will not be a middle of the road on this one. Let's leave the politics out of it folks, this is a film that does not pull at you, it yanks your heart right out of your chest if you have one - I left it feeling human because it moved me, and made me THINK. President John F. Kennedy once said to 5 Nobel laureates having dinner in the White House that there had never been so much intelligence gathered at one time in this room with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dinned alone (I would have given the credit to his friend and spiritual guide John Adams but let's leave that for another day). One of Thomas Jefferson's best known quotes - "Those that would give up their freedoms in the name of SAFETY and SECURITY will be neither SAFE nor SECURE and certainly not free. The current policies of this country have fed on the American obsession with our personal safety, maybe we should listen to one of our founding fathers. AS a 26 year fire fighter veteran - I think there is a time to leave a burning building because staying and dying is not going to accomplish anything.
One of the best film about troops returning from Iraq suffers from "Iraq film clichés". If you haven't seen many Iraq films this is the place to start
posted on 27 Jul 2009After a tour of duty in Iraq that almost kills him a soldier returns home only to find that he's going to have to go back as part of the Stop Loss program of the military thats being used to keep numbers of troops up.Good, earnest, well acted tale is one of the better Iraq films to come out. That said I don't know if that really means much. Watching the film I'm forced to wonder if anyone is capable of making a great (or even totally good from start to finish) film about the war. Don't get me wrong its not bad, but on some level haven't we, or I, seen this all before? Its very much like any number of other war films, and while the high quality of the acting and the direction do count for much there was a moment where I forgot what I was watching because it all blended together with all the other Iraq films.The opening Iraq scenes kind of doomed the film for me, since while they are well done, they are like any number of other films that have come out recently.They particularly reminded me of Home of the Brave with Samuel L Jackson-as did a chunk of the rest of the film. There is such a lack of imagination concerning Iraq scenes now that I was thinking that they make up "The banality of the Iraq war". Forgive me but what I see on You Tube and elsewhere looks better than this, it all looks more real (yes I know it is). I even prefer chunks of Brian De Palma's Redacted (which I hate), to the same patrol shots with the same sort of attacks, with the same GI bull crap.I'm getting off on a tangent here- ultimately this is a good, but not great film thats worth a look. Though I have a feeling that if you haven't seen a good number of Iraq films see this one since its one of the best (with the Valley of Elah)
I'm getting out!...(not)
posted on 18 Jul 2009Director Kimberly Peirce ("Boys Don't Cry") brings another powerfully charged film of such raw emotion that upon later reflection of the movie I felt like I had witnessed real events.
Stop-Loss follows the fictional story of a soldier, Brandon King (Ryan Philippe), who has returned home after a tour in Iraq. His contract is up and he just about to get out when he is stop-lossed (a "fine-print" section in all soldiers' contracts that gives the President the power to extended soldier's contracts in time of war). He refuses to be shipped back to Iraq, and goes AWOL in search of his state's senator for help. What follows is his road trip to fight the stop-loss as well as showing the devastating affects his fellow soldiers (Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt) experience from the horrible war. Its' acting, directing, and writing had such a feeling of authenticity, and combined with the fact that 81,000 of our brave soldiers have already been stop-lossed since Spetember 11,2001, this film feels like a true story.
One thing that made this film succeed so well was it's director was a woman, and she was able to make a movie were you could feel and see the emotions these guys were feeling even as they would desperately try and mask them.
The acting was extraordinary from the three main soldiers, most notably Ryan Philippe who is so gritty and real in his performance that he seems like he actually is a marine. Channing Tatum gives a genuine performance, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt's is the most haunting of the trio as a soldier who fights his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder with excessive amounts of booze and slowly slips into a deep hole of despair.
This films is not a propaganda piece, it simply portrays something that is going on right now. It brings up many good points, but never bashes you with a certain viewpoint but leaves it to you to decide. This is such emotionally powerful, deeply moving film, the best film I have seen since the year started, and destined to be one of my favorites from this year.
Our service members deserve so much better
posted on 16 Jul 2009 Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Channing Tatum, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt star in this drama directed by Kimberly Pierce who directed Boys Don't Cry. In this drama, Phillippe plays Brandon King, a Texas soldier returning from combat duty in Iraq along with his best friend Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum). Brandon believes that he is wrapping up his military career when he gets an unpleasant surprise: he has been stop-lossed. Unfortunately, due to the shortage of service members, the government has decreed that his contract with them be extended, thus making his eligible to be sent back to the Middle East for another tour. Brandon is eager to fight this, even if it means going AWOL and risking a prison sentence to find a Washington official to help him.
I think this film is extremely underrated and should have garnered more attention, especially for Cornish and Phillippe. I think that sometimes the beefcake appeal of its stars, especially Tatum, sometimes threaten to overwhelm the message of the film but overall it's a wonderful effort by Pierce.
Denunciation and Tribute
posted on 09 Jul 2009I was a young adult during the Viet Nam era and by only a stroke of fate was not submitted to that carnage. Of course, during the 1960's, there was a draft and every young man was subject to being sent off to die at the whim of government officials.The trauma to the protagonist in Stop-Loss can be likened to that of a young man drafted into battle in Viet Nam. The difference is this contemporary tale relays that the young man in question, Brandon, had volunteered to serve in the military and completed a tour of duty in war-torn Iraq with honors and along with his buddies with whom he enlisted arrives in his Texas hometown to a hero's welcome. He has had enough of war and is elated to be able to return to his civilian life and put the horrors of war behind him.Brandon then finds that he has been stop-lossed - the fate of some eighty-one thousand soldiers thus far during the past five years - and is ordered to return to battle in Iraq. He flies into a rage and verbally assaults his commanding officer. As a result, he is ordered to the stockade until time to be redeployed. On his way to the stockade, he overpowers his guards, escapes, and goes AWOL.Thus begins a quest to favorably resolve his situation by seeking out the senator who has told the conquering hero that he is available for help and counsel. Through a twist of fate, he is aided in his flight by the fiancé of his best friend with whom he had served in Iraq.The young men depicted in Stop-Loss are surely not what one would call refined. They hail from the lower class of a small, Texas town and - had they not enlisted - would probably have had some sort of dead-end job. The armed forces offered them a profession and guidance. Unfortunately, it also offered death, horror, disfigurement, and post traumatic stress. These men are lost in their former world and exhibit negative reactions to it such as drunkenness, fighting, acts of civil violence, and combative attitudes toward the women in their lives. These men have allowed their narrow-minded attitude of macho to practically destroy their lives. Add that macho attitude to the indescribable visions of war in their minds, and you have an explosive situation.The actors in this film perform an impressive job at giving the viewer a believable look at these young men and women.Ryan Phillippe as Brandon is a perfect as the former macho jerk who has established himself as a leader who is maturing into a thinking, reasoning man.Joseph Gordon-Levitt masters another edgy role as a man so dependent upon army life that he is unable to function as a civilian.Channing Tatum is affecting in the role of Brandon's lifetime best friend who not only is suffering post traumatic stress but is unable to come to terms with the actions of his buddy.Victor Rasuk gives a heartbreaking performance as the lover boy of the group who is horribly disfigured and wounded in battle. His performance is a tribute to all of the real soldiers who return from war and defeat seemingly insurmountable odds.Abbie Cornish portrays Jeanie, an admirable woman who is the fiancé of Brandon's best friend and his support during his flight. Cornish gives us a sexy woman who is tough and not about to be done in by fate and the idiotic actions of the men in her life.Needless-to-say, this film is a denunciation of the war and the stop-loss policy, but it is also a tribute to the young soldiers who go off to Iraq thinking that they are doing something good for their country. It's a very good film with a big heart and worthy viewing for any citizen.
unbelievable... truly; and not for political reasons
posted on 09 Jul 2009I really loved this film! It took me in and got me involved from the start. I followed and identified with Ryan Phillipe's character from the opening scene. It was a realistic blend of what a social/geopolitical group perceives as it's foreign policy and what the individual actually endures to perpetuate that ideal.However....This film seemed to miss a lot of opportunity, and ignore some basic precepts along the way. It lost believability in the final acts, as the main characters are divided by ideals, but still cannot communicate. I find it hard to believe that the two main characters, who have grown up together to be best friends,in this film, cannot find some common ground in which to communicate. The fact that their short military service can divide them so unequivocally is very hard to swallow. Given the obvious fact that one of them is the 'smart' one,who gets it; and the other is the 'dumb', impressionable one who falls for the military propaganda, still does not over-ride the long relational bond that we suppose has developed and sustained these two 'blood brothers' through thick and thin, through life since the Third Grade. I cannot imagine a bond this close being broken by the regimen of military life. The Primary failure of this film lies, to me, in the relationship of the main character to his father. This could have been a heartfelt exploration of the true agony of battle, as seen from a popular war vs. an unpopular one. The Vietnam veteran and the Iraq veteran,father and son, and all that that implies,was completely ignored, and was a truly missed chance for the filmmaker to make a lasting impression on the audience. Instead, the emphasis on an unfair policy was made clear; but, in the end, no resolution, and no subjective or real 'content' was forthcoming. The final result of this film is an obvious attempt to jump on the bandwagon of recent times and exploit the idea that the US should not be involved in Middle Eastern politics. It could have been so much more...
Well-intentioned but flawed
posted on 04 Jul 2009Stop-Loss is a solid, well-intentioned film that has its moments but somehow doesn't quite come together to deliver the full emotional or intellectual impact it should have had. Ryan Phillippe shines as a good soldier torn between duty, honor and the haunting memories of his time in Iraq, and the rest of the cast is solid, particularly Victor Rasuk's understated performance as a severely injured private whose spirit may or may not be broken.
The camera effects in the first act are a little distracting at times, and the road trip in the second act is stretched a bit longer than necessary, but well-deserved kudos to Kimberly Peirce for shining a light on an underreported aspect of the war and taking a nuanced shades of gray approach to her subject -- the Stop Loss policy itself is bad enough, there's no need to offer bad guy caricatures -- and going with the only ending that made sense.
It's not the defining generational classic some have claimed, but it's definitely worth a rental.
John Wayne Rides Again
posted on 03 Jul 2009This is one of those so-called "Hollywood Social Commentary" films that wants to have it both ways. And believe me, in this film, both ways are clichéd and stereotypical. STOP-LOSS is a 21st Century John Wayne Film dealing with some anti-war sentiment but clearly ending on the note that "If you are a MAN in today's society, you get your act together and march off to war with your buddies." In many ways the film was a great sequel to TAXI TO THE DARK SIDE as it portrayed a military equally as insane and out of control, a quasi FRAT PARTY/ANIMAL HOUSE extravaganza mixed in with a Texas Red Neck world of repressed homo-erotic proofs of masculinity. This movie had it all in one scene after another of clichéd imagery. And then rebellious military deserter Ryan Phillippe goes on a "Road Trip" with best friend's girlfriend, an artificial storyline manipulation to visit families of dead servicemen, maimed soldiers in military hospitals, etc. and finally to broach the issue of fleeing to Canada or Mexico. But male honor and patriotism win out in the end, as all freshly scrubbed and handsome, he rides off into the sunset on a bus with his buddies back to Iraq and a world that a few minutes before he assured everyone he could never again tolerate. FULL METAL JACKET meets SANDS OF IWO JIMA . But in the end, John Wayne rides again! And a Hollywood Blockbuster ultimately gets to keep both sides of its audience in the palm of its hand…….at least it would like to think so. As far as I was/am concerned, just take me back to the more convincing reality of IN THE GARDEN OF ELAH.
Nice Effort But Can't Quite Succeed
posted on 01 Jul 2009There are some good moments in this Anti-War movie but there are some technical problems and a less than superb script, plot. The MTV inserts at the beginning with musical video segments of the war seem more disruptive and unnecessary (at least to the older generation) and furthermore than fade out and aren't used in the last two-thirds of the movie. There are some editing problems, in at least two places (a brief shot of writing on a pad and the cut to father and then son later in the movie seems out of sync). The cinematography varies, especially at the beginning portion of the movie that don't seem to serve much purpose. There appears to be too much effort to dramatize and reduce the complexity of reality into various two-dimensional characters representative of several archetypes of the sick and wounded coming out of the Iraq conflict. And the ending is perhaps too pat or too conveniently American. Nevertheless through out the movie there are some strong scenes, some riveting experiences of the conflict in Iraq and at home. The relationships in the movie are decent, especially the female/male relationships handled much more realistic than most movies. Unfortunately, this movie never quit offers up enough character development, relational backstory, and for the ending enough of an understanding explanation that is instead sort of the cop-out twist ending that fails to really satisfy. Seven out of Ten Stars.
I feel for them...
posted on 28 Jun 2009An abolutely great movie with great performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Channing Tatum and especially by Ryan Phillippe.
It shows what the war can do to these young soldiers fighting the war in Iraq - while they are there and after they come back - .... HOME ... A normal life ? What do you think ? No, not so.
Just watch the movie - it is worth it !!!
Insightful movie about loss and dealing with ones own fragile existence in Iraq
posted on 27 Jun 2009I really liked this movie. I wasn't looking for a bloody battle scene and there wasn't much of that expressed. Most of what was conveyed was the loss of friends in a situation that could happen to soldiers who march into harms way. Then the soldiers return home, back to the way things were? Their lives are not the same, and the people at home can't understand because they weren't there to see a friend die in their arms at the hands of some terrorist killers.My brother just retired from the Army. He volunteered in Iraq for 1 year. He safely returned home, but his life had changed from that moment he was in Iraq. He said they lost a few young men, and another returned home severely burned from a cocktail thrown into the vehicle. At 130 degrees, how can they keep the windows closed in a military vehicle with the engine off. Two men that died were young (18 and 20). I feel the young soldiers have not received enough training and are too young to deal with the stress of war. The movie had me thinking about the young men and women that barely have a year of training and next have RPGs hurling at them, roadside bombs, suicidal bombers walking into streets. How can anyone be trained to deal with that and be aware of it before it happens?I commend the different positions on war in this movie: 1) Soldiers who are willing to die for their families and country. 2) Soldiers who have served their country and feel they should have the choice to step down from their jobs.Stop-loss was something I never heard of until I saw the movie. How on earth can we say in the United States we have FREEDOM to choose if that privilege is removed when you enlist? It is like when you quit a job, move to another state, join a religion. FREEDOM to Choose! The Stop-Loss sanction nullifies the FREEDOM to step down after serving your country for 1 term or more. Do they think that will encourage people to sign up to serve in the armed forces if the contract removes their basic right of FREEDOM that we all hold so dearly. I was angry to hear soldiers are forced to return to serve multiple times. Many soldiers clearly need to stay home to recover and try to live a normal life instead of sending them back to die. It sounds as if these soldiers are no more than a body with a gun to send back into war.I would recommend seeing this movie!
Perhaps more suited to TV, but a good movie all the same!
posted on 27 Jun 2009After watching "Stop-Loss," I noticed later in the day a commercial for it which indicated that this was produced by MTV films or something like that. I thought this was appropriate because while I watched "Stop-Loss," I couldn't help but notice that this film really would've worked better on the small screen.Ryan Phillippe plays the role of Brandon King, a young soldier who, after having served on over 150 missions in Iraq and seen the deaths of both the men under his command and civilians, is excited about the prospect of returning home after having done his duty for his country.While turning in his gear and filing his paperwork, he is informed that he is to be shipped back to Iraq: although he has done his time and served his country, his Commander in Chief has the explicit right to unilaterally extend his tour without his knowledge or authorization.Of course this isn't the only thing going on while the soldiers are back in the USA. Tommy Burgess (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) finds himself constantly in trouble as he battles alcohol addiction. Steve Shriver (Channing Tatum), Brandon's best friend, returns to his girlfriend and assaults her while digging in a fox hole on their front lawn and arming himself with a handgun mere feet from a road where pedestrians and vehicles pass by.It is on this level that I believe "Stop-Loss" ultimately fails. In the motion picture format, this story has to be constricted into 90 or 120 minutes, and as a result the focus is almost exclusively on Brandon. His outrage at having to report back to Iraq; his odyssey in traveling to meet a Senator who he thinks will help him get out; his coming into contact with many other Stop-Loss victims; his decision first to head for Canada, then Mexico, before he ultimately decides that he has to return to the military.In the duration of the story, Steve goes from unstable to willing re-enlisting, though there's no perspective on this. As Tommy's life disintegrates, Steve tries to guilt Brandon into returning. Tommy is ultimately discharged, and commits suicide: the tragedy is effective, however without really allowing us to witness the back story here of the other characters, there is an artificial melodrama feel to it! I also must admit that, after initially feeling sympathy for Steve's precarious mental stability, I began to really dislike him in this story. He hits his girlfriend and really never apologizes for it- he merely says he couldn't remember it. He over and over again judges and tries to guilt Brandon into abandoning what he feels is justice, and then when Brandon comes to Tommy's grave to pay his respects, Steve assaults him! Steve has re-enlisted because he wanted to be a sniper where he could hit his targets from further away and be in less danger- he does this and ultimately sacrifices his fiancée (he never discussed it with her), and still at the end has the nerve to, when Brandon seems to extend the olive branch, seem rather indifferent.I recommend the film rather strongly, but I feel like if it had been a TV movie, it would've really been something special!
Stop-Loss Is Not Anti-War, It's Pro-Soldier
posted on 27 Jun 2009What is bravery? Is it trying to do the right thing while facing death in the process? What is patriotism? Is it selflessly giving to your country your services and possibly your life to protect and idea? What is honor? Is it following through on your responsibilities to others who depend on you? In today's United States Army, these questions aren't merely hypothetical, but the basis of character. Kimberly Pierce understood this when she made her sophomore film Stop-Loss, which is extremely likely to be my favorite film of 2008.Stop-Loss tells the story of a group of soldiers from Texas who are coming home from Iraq. Just before they see stateside, they encounter an ambush that kills three of their respected brothers. The squad leader Brandon King (Ryan Phillippe) feels responsible for the deaths. He intends to leave the service for good when he gets back along with his best friend (Channing Tatum). This is good news to Brandon's family; his father (the great Cirian Hinds) was a vet from Vietnam. This is also good news for his friend's fiancé (Abbie Cornish), whose love only shadows her loneliness.But when Brandon turns in his gear and paperwork, he is told that he's to ship back out to Iraq on a stop-loss, which he instantly contests with his superior (Timothy Olyphant). The result has Brandon on the run as he goes AWOL to find a way out of going. He is aided by his friend's fiancé; he decides his best chance is to convince a local senator in Washington to help him. Along the way, he gets a tour of conscience. He meets the family of one of his dead men, whose brother knows about people who could get soldiers through to Canada. He also goes to see another of his comrades (Victor Russak), who was severely wounded in the conflict. And at the end, Brandon must make one of the hardest decisions that anyone will ever have to face.Love it or hate it, this film has be one of the most unusual films dealing with war. It neither sides for the conflict in Iraq or against it, finding the argument to be beside the point. No doubt that Brandon does say something unflattering about his Commander-in-Chief in one scene, but the film makes it's bravest decision in being pro-soldier from beginning to end. We like these guys, we honor their dedication to our country and we only want them to find happiness and safety back home. But we can tell nearly from the start that coming home isn't going to be easy when tensions flare up in unpredictable ways. One of the men (played flawlessly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) seems to need violence in order to feel normal. The film doesn't hate him for it, nor do we since we know that, in the words of another great movie, he had "a bad war".There is something to be said about the decisions made in this film. In lesser movies, Brandon's decision would be more clear-cut depending on the filmmaker's political views. There would be some who call Brandon's plight cowardice and the film addresses this by allowing Brandon to have more than a couple of emotions. He's not afraid to fight or to die, but has a more interesting reason to resist. And the film doesn't see any easy answer in the options left to him. We see the life of another AWOL soldier up-close. There's nothing pretty about that.A lot of the success of the film has to go to the amazing casting of the film. I have never been much of a fan for Ryan Phillippe), but he might have just converted me. This is an amazing performance of such complexity and earnestness that I was left truly amazed. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been a rising independent superstar, completely washing away his child actor days in films that are challenging, playing parts that require his brand of smooth ferocity. This character is important even though he does little for the plot by being a tragic figure. I believe he might see his first nomination for this role. But my favorite performance may also be the most worthy of the Oscar this year: Abbie Cornish. Cornish isn't just throwing diamonds as a young woman in love with an impossible man. Stop-Loss might just be the best military film since Platoon that deals with soldiers as individuals and not part of a strategy board. Kimberly Pierce, whose first and only other film was Boys Don't Cry, sees soldiers in a way that other filmmakers haven't (and those filmmakers are almost exclusively male, a few veterans themselves). She declares that she had documented hundreds of interviews with soldiers. This is one of the extremely rare cases that fiction proves to be the better format over documentary. In making this a fictional tale, she can tell a broader story and accompany the emotional journey of all her characters. She did this with her first film, which told the sad story of Brandon Teena. I didn't think that she could have made a better film than that. She has proved that she could and has.All in all, I love this film and cannot recommend this to enough people. It's going to be attacked unfairly by the pro-war crowd who either feel that the film encourages wrong behaviors or weakening morale. In fact, I think that the film shows the real indomitable spirit of the fighting men with honor. But I also find that those who attack movies like these usually think that the best way to support the troops is to keep them in harms way. Stop-Loss isn't a cry to "cut and run". It's a testament that soldiers will remain honorable no matter how they come home. Something that John McCain might keep in mind
Boys do not cry
posted on 26 Jun 2009It's one of the most realistic movies of Iraq war and simply a dramatic story of an impact Iraq does on soldiers and a modern American society.
One could sometimes feel Texas streets were more dangerous than Iraq's ones.
It is hardly anti-war movie also none wants to die, which is natural.
Great
posted on 23 Jun 2009Stop-Loss (2008) **** (out of 4) Hard hitting, Anti-Iraq film has Ryan Phillippe playing a U.S. soldier who leaves his final mission in Iraq but soon learns he's been stop-lossed, which means the government can break your original contract and send you back to Iraq. Phillippe refuses to go back so he goes AWOL and hits the road with his best friend's girl (Abbie Cornish) while trying to figure out what to do. Over the past few years there have been countless films protesting the Iraq war and all of them have been fair (Lions for Lambs) to really poor (Redacted) but this one here is clearly the best of the bunch but it's also one of the best war movies out there and clearly one of the best of 2008. The movie has a strong stance against the war but it's certainly Pro-Soldier and the film bleeds with love for the young men putting their lives on the line each day. The film opens with a scene in Iraq where the soldiers are working a checkpoint when a group of thugs show up with guns a soon a big battle breaks out and leads to tragedy. I really enjoyed what director Peirce did here by instead of focusing on the violence she clearly wants the viewer to see that these are kids doing this fighting. She makes it clear to us that it's kids doing the shooting and being shot at, which is something people and the media seems to forget. The Anti-Iraq stuff is handled very well and never becomes too preachy unlike many other recent films. I think the film's one problem is that it really should have ran at least an hour longer because the movie not only looks at Phillippe's situation but also two of his friends who are dealing with their own battles on returning home. The film is a lot like The Deer Hunter, a film that took three hours to tell its story, and I think that long running time would have worked well here. The two friends play a major part in the story and an emotional one so I think their stories could have been pushed out a bit further. The performances in the film are all rather remarkable and this is certainly the greatest work I've seen from Phillippe. I don't want to ruin anything but he has to go through all sorts of mental pain in the film and he pulls this off wonderfully well. I think Phillippe has always been a good actor but this film here pushes him to a great one. He really does give a strong, raw and highly emotional performance, which is the heart of the film. Cornish is also very good in her role as is Channing Tatum as the best friend. No matter where you stand on the actual war, that shouldn't keep you away from this film, which is quite original in how it tells its story and most importantly it does pay tribute to these kids who lost their lives on the battle field. This is a very strong and highly emotional film that pushes all the right buttons and really delivers.
Was this a joke?
posted on 28 Aug 2009This was a great idea for a movie...gone wrong. Kimberley, what happened? You went from Boys Don't Cry to Stop-Loss?I would first like to praise this movie for what it was worth. First, I love how the director and write depicted what a soldier goes through after getting out from an army. That was dead-on. They convey the emotions, the disillusionment, and the tension one causes when exiting a war. Second, I would like to say that this was a great plot. I did not know about the term "stop-loss" until this movie, and it infuriates me. Scene after scene, my head was starting to blow up. It really brought to my attention the problems we have in our military system.Now for the critiques... I would first like to say something about the writing. Although it was good in portraying the emotions, the logic of the character was extremely skewed. First of all, he chose Mexico over Canada? Are you kidding? You're choosing a third world country over a developed country! And at the end, after wasting $1,000, driving everywhere, and complaining for 2 hours, he decided to go back to the military. Second, the directing was kind of poor. There was this one scene that pulled away from the realism of the piece. The main character was in New York, about to go to Canada, when all of a sudden he gets a phone call. One of his soldier buddy died. So on the day of his funeral, the main character showed up. How is that possible? You have no money, you have no car, you're on a motorcycle, and you get back JUST in time for the funeral? Also the scar wounds healed in two days, which made the whole movie even more fake.Third, I want to comment about the acting. I would first like to say BRAVA to Joseph Gordon-Levitt for an amazing performance, once again. He portrayed his character to a T, and he did such an amazing job. Ryan Phillippee also did an great job. Not amazing, but he was pretty good. I still respect him as an actor, but he could have done better. Lastly, I want to complain about Channing Tatum. Where are the casting directors? They did a horrible job for casting him. He was auto-pilot the whole time. I didn't buy a thing he said, all he could do was scream and yell. His acting was laughable. The end scene when he broke down and "cried", was extremely laughable. When his ONE TEAR fell down from his eye was extremely fake. Did he use an eye drop? While Ryan is giving so much emotion in that scene, Channing is not giving anything back. That's all I have to say about the movie. I do want people to watch it, so they know what the military does to us, but don't expect Oscars from this.