| Courage Under Fire | | Cast : | Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan | | Director : | Edward Zwick | | Studio : | Twentieth Century Fox | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | July 12, 1996 | | DVD Released Date : | September 14, 2004 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 31, 2005 | | Summary | A Testament to Courage | Content
 | This is a riveting Military drama that works as a human drama as well. Director Edward Zwick has made something special here as what could have been a routine story, takes on depth and a sense of honor and history as the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the first female officer killed in combat turns into a marshy quicksand of lies and deception about the events leading to her death.
Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serling (Denzel Washington) is assigned the task of signing off on the details so Captain Karen Walden (Meg Ryan) can be given the Medal of Honor for her sacrifice. But as Serling begins to talk to the crew of soldiers who went down with Walden in the Medivac helicopter over Kuwait, he becomes unsure whether or not she deserves it. It is not any kind of preconceptions about women in combat that prompts his misgivings but his conversations with those involved.
Michael Moriarty gives a fine performance as Serling's superior and old friend Brigadier General Hershberg. The President wants to give Walden this honor and the pressure is great on Serling to hurry up and sign off on the investigation. Ilario (Matt Damon) was the closest to Walden personally and he seems just a little to scared of the investigation to Serling. Lou Diamond Phillips gives the performance of his career as the hard edged Sgt. Monfriez, a Military lifer with a chip on his shoulder who thinks Serling is there to whitewash what happened and will tell him nothing.
Denzel Washington gives another great performance as the flawed Lieutenant Colonel Serling, whose attempt to get at the truth may cost him his career. Scott Glenn has a nice turn in this quietly powerful drama as a reporter who smells a big story. This film is about honor and integrity and human weakness. The flashback scenes are riveting as each soldier tells his version of events. When Serling finally uncovers the truth, which is quite different from the offical version, it still remains a story of courage under fire.
Though Denzel gets most of the screen time, Meg Ryan not only holds her own but equals him. Her moments on screen paint a portrait of a very real person who served her country bravely and with honor. This film slowly draws you in until you are glued to the screen, waiting for the truth to come out. It is a testemant to honor and sacrifice by our military, whatever the circumstances.
If you don't own this film you'll want to pick it up soon. It's one you'll watch more than once. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 27, 2005 | | Summary | EXCELLENT! | Content
| Definitely a great movie, Courage Under Fire, brings to the screen two stories as they unfold at the same time; a military investigation into whether a female officer should receive the Medal of Honor posthumously, and the inner struggle of the investigator as he tries to come to terms with his having been responsible for his friend's death in Iraq during Desert Storm.
The film combines drama, action and adventure making it one of the best of its kind.
Needless to say, Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan, Lou Diamond Phillips, Matt Damon, and the rest of the cast have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are outstanding to say the least! All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)!
The setting, the special effects, the music and the costumes are all wonderful!
In short, it is a movie worth watching! Strongly recommended along with Black Hawk Down.
|
| Rating | | | Date | February 02, 2005 | | Summary | A Meg movie that is not a comedy | Content
| Lieutenant Colonel Nathaniel Serving (Denzel Washington) makes the ultimate boo boo. In the heat of the moment he targets our side.
While still in a slump over this he is challenged to check out Captain Karen Emma Walden (Meg Ryan) who is inline for the Medal of Honor (posthumously). We go through several versions of her story as told from different view points of survivors. Meg Ryan does a good job of portraying the different personalities as describe.
|
| Rating | | | Date | August 31, 2004 | | Summary | A moving, fictional story of US soldiers in Iraq War I. | Content
| A moving but fictional story of two US soldiers who both fought during Iraq War I. We find Denzel's character, Lt Col Serling, as a tank officer in a desk job after the war, having been deeply affected by a friendly fire incident that occurred on his watch. As a favor to keep this good soldier who's since become a sot, his commander assigns him the task of investigating whether a KIA deserves a post-humous Medal of Honor. LTC Serling is rather stunned to open the file and see it is a female helicopter pilot, Meg Ryan's character: Captain Walden. As Serling goes about interviewing witnesses, he discovers that the pieces of their stories conflict. The manner in which the stories conflict is played out in a series of flashbacks with varied interpretations. Serling becomes determined to find the truth and through finding the truth, being somehow able to atone for his own mistakes. The truth surrounding CPT Walden's fate becomes imperative to Serling's own fate and in dealing with his past demons. This is a well-acted movie, and you will want to know the truth too as the plot builds and the flashbacks show each conflicting version of an unfortunate, complicated situation.
Meg Ryan is miscast despite the film's efforts to change her appearance by dying and cutting her hair to have her appear as more of a "toughie" than a "cutie". She also speaks with a Southern accent which she can't get quite gritty enough with such a naturally high, sweet voice. And it's hard to get around those big, light blue, sensitive eyes of hers. There are several military-incorrect instances -- those of you are are also one of "them" with prior service know what I'm talking about. Most glaring is that while CPT Walden IS post-humously deserving of a medal, it is a stretch that it should be the Medal of Honor -- I won't go further into this here because the movie's is a good one and worth seeing for other reasons.
Scott Glen, Lou Diamond Philips, and a then unknown Matt Damon are part of the supporting cast. Check out an anorexic (in the "future" part of the movie) Matt in one of his first roles -- he forced himself to lose so much weight in order to fit the part that he has since said in interviews that he made himself very, very sick. And I'd have to say that a plumper Matt IS a better looking Matt. Also, you can catch a pre-Sam the Hobbit AKA Sean Astin in a small role. |
| Rating | | | Date | August 07, 2004 | | Summary | POWERHOUSE MILITARY MYSTERY STUDDED WITH TOP-CLASS ACTS | Content
| War movies rarely acknowledge fatal blunders alongside the typical nimble strategies all in the same vein, much less in the same individual. Courage Under Fire manages that with an effortless tapestry of morality, valour and honour.
Apart from such sheer emotional freight, it even manages to counch a discreet message about the quirks of real wars and their very human aftermath. There are points in the film where both the Iraqi and the American soldiers look almost indistinguishable. Fighting nations with crunch budgets is a complex enterprise with a variety of perspectives.
There is much to say about the plot's setup, it's spectacular. Denzel is heads and shoulders above everyone else but the performances are excellent all-round. Matt Damon seemed to have lost half his weight to fit into the role. Meg Ryan is very convincing for her irregular turn as a leathery war woman. But above all, I was particularly astonished by the confident pizzazz of Lou Diamond Phillips, his explosive cameo is one of the most unforgettable sequences.
With its highly realistic battle scenes, fast-paced screenplay and a solid heart , Courage Under Fire is a top class production, regardless of the qualms regarding nationalistic or gender messages that other critics bloviate about. My theory that you cannot go terribly wrong with anything that involves Denzel still remains intact. |
|
|
|
|
