Courage Under Fire (1996)

Director:

Edward Zwick

Writer (WGA):

Patrick Sheane Duncan (written by)

Release Date:

12 July 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War | Mystery

Tagline:

In wartime, the first casualty is always truth.

Plot:

A US Army officer, despondent about a deadly mistake he made, investigates a female chopper commander's worthiness for the Medal of Honor.

Plot Keywords:

Investigation | Friendly Fire | Political Drama | Miscarriage Of Justice | Family Member

Awards:

9 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Denzel Washington	...	Lt. Colonel Nathaniel Serling
Meg Ryan	...	Captain Karen Emma Walden
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Staff Sergeant John Monfriez
Michael Moriarty	...	Brigadier General Hershberg
Matt Damon	...	Specialist Ilario
Bronson Pinchot	...	Bruno
Seth Gilliam	...	Altameyer
Regina Taylor	...	Meredith Serling
Zeljko Ivanek	...	Ben Banacek
Scott Glenn	...	Tony Gartner, Washington Post
Tim Guinee	...	Rady
Tim Ransom	...	Boylar
Sean Astin	...	Patella
Armand Darrius	...	Robins
Ned Vaughn	...	Lieutenant Chelli

MPAA:

Rated R for war violence and language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:M | South Korea:15 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | USA:R (certificate #34505) | Iceland:14 (original rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 (w) | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Fox 2000 Pictures

Trivia:

This was the first movie produced by Fox 2000 Pictures to be released in theatres.

Goofs:

In a meeting between Serling and Hershberg in Hershberg's office, Hershberg sets a book down on his desk with the binding facing the wall. When the meeting ends and Serling walks out, the binding of that same book is away from the wall.

Quotes:

Joel Walden: [to LTC Serling, after Anne Marie saw him and ran away] Men dressed as you are came to the door to tell her her mother had died.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Game K N B: (2007-03-03)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Angel from Montgomery

The Method

America's sweetheart as a helicopter pilot? Most critics say she does an excellent job, but that's not what makes this movie so momentous. Neither is it the excellent performance by Denzel Washington, who had been expected by many to win an Oscar nomination for it. Nor is it the over the top performance of Matt Damon, nor is it the excellent contributions by any of the others in the cast. It's the way the story is told: throughout the movie you see the same sequence, over and over again, and each time you understand what is happening just a little bit more, until at the very end the import of it all hits you like a locomotive. It's a unique brand of story telling, and eminently successful.