Casualties of War (1989)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Lang (book)
David Rabe (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 August 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | War

Tagline:

Even in war... murder is murder.

Plot:

During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam | Vietnam War | Rape | Village | 1960s

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Michael J. Fox	...	Eriksson
Sean Penn	...	Meserve
Don Harvey	...	Clark
John C. Reilly	...	Hatcher
John Leguizamo	...	Diaz
Thuy Thu Le	...	Oanh
Erik King	...	Brown
Jack Gwaltney	...	Rowan
Ving Rhames	...	Lt. Reilly
Dan Martin	...	Hawthorne
Dale Dye	...	Capt. Hill
Steve Larson	...	Agent #1
John Linton	...	Agent #2
Vyto Ruginis	...	Prosecutor
Al Shannon	...	Wilkins

Runtime:

113 min | USA:121 min (extended version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (extended version) | Brazil:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-12 | Norway:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Philippines:PG-13 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

John C. Reilly's first movie.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Ericsson goes to the toilet he is followed by Clark who tries to blow him up with a grenade. The guy who plays Clark is white but you can see that the person who lifts the slide to plant the grenade has a black arm.

Quotes:

[last lines]
Girl on Bus: You had a bad dream, didn't you?
Eriksson: Yes.
Girl on Bus: It's over now, I think. Chao ong.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Charlie Rose Show: Quentin Tarantino" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Time Has Come Today

One of the great American movies

Coppola, Stone and Cimino did their best, but the award for best Vietnam movie goes to Brian De Palma. One of the only directors working today who still knows the meaning of 'cinema', De Palma uses all his favorite techniques (the long shots, split-focus)without being intrusive. There are so many fantastic moments in this film, so many images that stay in your mind long after the credits rolled by. Who could forget the death of the girl on that railwaybridge? It's truly one of the most chilling images I've ever seen on screen, also thanks to the haunting score by Ennio Morricone.

The acting is fantastic. Sean Penn makes it very easy for you to hate him, John Leguizamo as the pathetic Diaz hits all the right notes, John C. Reilly is wonderful as always. And then there's Michael J. Fox, in a rare dramatic role. As Ericcson, he's the beating heart of this film, the only human creature on screen. His attempts to save the girl are heartbreaking and deeply tragic.

It's a mystery why this movie doesn't get the recognition it deserves. Maybe the Americans don't like the way some of their countrymen are portrayed here. Maybe the idea of Marty McFly as G.I. Joe turns some people off. The IMDb rating this movie gets is a joke, albeit not a very funny one. This is one of Brian De Palmas finest movies (it's so hard to choose a favorite he has made so many classics), the best war movie I've ever seen and one of the greatest American movies ever.

You simply HAVE to see this!