A military investigation into the supposedly heroic death of a woman in the Gulf War unearths a Rashoman-style rack of conflicting stories. Billed as the movie that made you take Ryan seriously, this is fairly lumpen melodramatic fare, more notable for its cameo turns by the likes of Lou Diamond Phillips and a fresh-faced Matt Damon than for its heavy-billed leads. Washington digs the dirt (both personal and professional) with his usual assuredness, but Ryan never really gets beyond looking like, well, like Meg Ryan really, having little more than a bad hair day in the midst of all the bullets and the sand. An average film drama, saved by the enjoyable cameo appearances of Phillips and Damon.
Review of Courage Under Fire
